Hello there, just read your email today. I must say you touched my heart and am sure many others too by the words of wisdom, hope and the will to help others and especially the poor that you probably saw on the movie"constant Gardener ". At 18, and thinking big as you are and love to help the millions of poor people of AFRICA is great and very moving. I want to thank you for the thought in the first place and the wisdon at your age. You motivated and inspired me and am sure many too and I wish i could be of any help to you tomachieve this goal and make your wish come true and you be happy that you did and also put a smile to some else across the oceans.
I am African, born and raised in Kenya and now living in the USA. So even though I havent seen the movie you saw I believe you and understand and probably know what you are talking about where you are coming from a hundred percent.
Africa is very very large and its a continent carrying many countries with people of different tribes and traditions. Majority of very poor people including. So its hard to advise you on where to start in the whole continent or even a a whole country. So from a personal point of view I will talk of small country villages or Districts in tthe Rifty Valley Province because thats where i was born and raised and i know and understand the grass roots of every day life of the people. In Narok, Kajiado, Turkana, marsabit and even Naivasha and Kiambogo in Nakuru districts because these are places we know well. The rest of Kenya and Africa as a whole, others, please advice.
Africa and Kenya in general is very beautiful, warm climate with very pleasant temperatures and more over very good kind and hospitapal people despite the hard circumstances surrounding them in everyday life.
My guess is 80 to 90 percent of the population are poor and the few districts I mentioned comprises of the poor and poorest and their desperate needs are as follows to mention a few.
(1) LACK OF EDUCATION, especially to high School and college not to mention to university due to luck of resources and long distance walk to and from school. I mean few schools in the rich of local cammunities.
Many hardly make it to graduate elemetary school and so the few that make it end up as village dwellers, depending of their old poor parents for food and shelter, the get married to as poor a girl or young man at a very young age and start having children they cannot feed and educate, you name it.
(2) SHELTER OR HOUSING, many have very poor housing and congested with very poor sanitation. No lights so student cant do home work by night and if they have to do they use fire light, this is a bit hard for you to understand but if you can go there and see it, the better. Dangerous grass or cow dung roofs with mud walls that people inhail dust for ever. Need improved housing made of sand plus stones with ironsheets roofs which can even provide with clean rain water for drinking and domestic use. Lamps and a little room for children to study on. etc.
(3) Water, poor hygine and sanitaion and even drinking was due to lack clean water and the long distances to fetch is a delema to the people for life. Therefore, clean drinking water is crucially needed and in nearby for easy reach. Bore holes and wells needed to provide it where tap water cannot be available.
(4) Health care, The government has tried to do alot in this area and we are proud of that. But there are poor rural areas that weak and sick, ill and in pain and pregnant woman and little child have to walk very long distances to the clinic and health centers because the hospitals and miles away such that sometimes people die on their way to the hospital or waiting for transportation which is very scarce.
(5) HIV/AIDS, Africa as a whole is stricken by this scary disease, and else where. I have no accurate figures. Awareness, medication and health facilities are needed. Infact Kenya needs a type of hospital care or Nursing home for the dying, because the HIV/AIDS infected people probably out number the general illnesses people and are in the same hospitals and their own homes because there are no nusing homes in Kenya, not that I know of and in Africa too, which endagers others in hospitals and the equipment used on all of them and their families who restlessly care for them at home without professionalism and proper equipments. cloves, medications,wheel chair etc to mention afew luck most. There also mentaly ill and disabled who need help too and there are no facilities.
(6)FOOD AND CLOTHINGS AND EVEN BEDDINGS, the ophans, youth and the old and the refugees in their own land starve and there is an urgent need of food supply in almost everywhere due to luck of jobs and poor economy to mention a few.
(7) SPONSORSHIP, GIRLS AND BOyS, This group of young people equally need help especially with education because that is what the majority from very poor families luck most and educations is the strongest tool to help them with to enable them be strong people and build the nation their after. There is so much need of this all over Africa and Kenya especially in the few area i mention is crucial because, the have the smallest tribe that didnt get a chance of exposure to this privilage since indipendents.
(8) MONEY, lack of jobs, lack of good paying jobs, lack of good marketing of farm crops, like maize (white corn), beans potatoes, cows and milk which is the only resource get from their hard work in farms to feed the faily, clothe them and educate them and make aliving is never enough especially to the Traditional African faimilies. Its a struggle from childhood to adult and to old age where they dont get a chance to get education at least to college.
I cant also hesitate to mention that, Kenyans in general area very hard working people and embrace developement with both hands and anyone helping which ever group big or small canever regrate because of the enthusysm and will power and great hopes those people have in every need of their life. They just need a little help to make a different and better their life. They are also very helpful in among themselves and thats why the old and the young are now taking care of their sick, weak, poor and HIV/AIDS infected to the last minute of their breathe, they eat and drink together whatever they have. Their hard work and trong good traditions have always kept them close together and any help would be an added pleasure and dream and hope come true.
may i also mention that ignorant is not the couse of poverty. Luck of resources and grabs from the rich and powerful who tend to be the ones to lead on where the poor are involved and needs help is the worst enemy to getting every need met to every needy person. So, when helping them, its very important to make sure that everythings gets to the hands of the beneficiary.
For example, if you sponsor ten students to get through their four years of high school, make sure that they are actually 10 of them, the schools fees figures given to you are accurate etc and not 1 student in school while you are paying for ten. The reason why i mention this is because due to poverty, almost everybody tends to fill in their cup without minding of others regardless of how much they know those others need their share. Also Not many have the heart and will to help and so they simply may not care.Therefore, every strong working group and distribution is needed.
Transport, this is a big problem not to mention the rough weather roads and so a vehicle is needed for effient visit to the sponsored and to move about even if it were for you when you go down there to explore the situation. publick transportation is not efficent to run aproject.
I hope, with the few ares of needs I highlighted, will help you to figure out which area of need you could try to assist with help. From my point of view and not knowing how you intend toprovide the help to either of them or another at 18 years of age, I think its best for you to start by probably sponsoring a few young people with school fees or rather to get educated to as much as they can be it to university or colleges to enable them get jobs laiter and perhaps be better than any one without education and who knows, they may help somebody too.
Please note i don't know how much you have or can raise to do this or a biger project, but i think this can be the best to start with as well as to get you know the country and the people while you get on with your college as i asume you could be or to prepare you to take a bigger project. Other wise you are very free and you have a right to choose what you may be comfortable with. Wish you all the best in your endevours.
Many thanks.
where Africa comes to you..
