Kenya has a free education system, but not everyone in enrolled. A new study released today shows that lack of money or interest keeps children away from education in the country. According to the study, the costs of school uniforms or school lunches are too much for some parents, so they keep them at home instead.In the Kenyan paper the Daily Nation, Sammy Cheboi gives the numbers cited in the report.Some 16 per cent of children reported that their parents did not let them go to primary school, while five per cent said they had to work or help at home.About two per cent of children of school-going age had never attended school because of ill-health, either involving the child or a member of the family.At the secondary school level, the same pattern prevails, the report established.The...
I was forwarded the first reference below after my last post on Kakuma refugee camp research (thanks, Jeff!). The article focuses more particularly on the relationship that has developed over time between the refugees of Kakuma camp and the Turkana, the host community. I was able to find several additional references to related resources on this issue, and I've listed the titles below.
"The...
Editor’s note: Guest blogger Linda Segre is Managing Director of Google.org. Full disclosure: Google.org is an Acumen Fund Leadership Partner.
By Linda Segre
In many ways, Wednesday, November 5 was like any other day at the office. I came into work, powered on my computer, grabbed a coffee, and sat down to start the day. As usual, a host of unread e-mails awaited me. But that’s where my day ceased to be usual and instead, became truly memorable.
Innocuously nestled in with all the other messages was a note from Samuel Onyango. I first met Samuel in 2006, while traveling in Kenya with Acumen Fund’s CEO, Jacqueline Novogratz. That day, Jacqueline and I left Nairobi for western Kenya, where one of Acumen’s investments, Advanced Bio-Extracts, operates. Advanced...
(Nairobi, November 13, 2008) -The Kenyan government, foreign donors, and United Nations agencies should rapidly increase their response to the worsening Somali refugee crisis in Kenya, Human Rights Watch said today.
read...
DG ECHO HIV Guidelines (Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid, ECHO, Oct. 2008) [text]
Global Detention Survey: Summary of Findings (International Detention Coalition, Oct. 2008) [access]
- Select "IDCGlobalSurveyFindings.doc" to open the Word document.
Going Home or Staying Home? Ending Displacement for Burundian Refugees in Tanzania, Citizenship and Forced Migration in the Great Lakes...
In
Government,
Youth,
Thailand,
Annual Reports,
tanzania,
Aids,
internally displaced persons,
detention,
Burmese,
urban areas,
gender discrimination,
Burundians,
Africa,
kenya
Government and Donors Should Urgently Address Refugee Crisis
The Kenyan government, foreign donors, and United Nations agencies should rapidly increase their response to the worsening Somali refugee crisis in Kenya. More than 65,000 Somali refugees will have sought refuge in Kenya by the end of this year, up from 19,000 in 2007. New arrivals face extortion and abuses when trying to cross Kenya’s officially closed border and are received in appalling conditions in overcrowded, underserviced refugee camps....
Since it has been over a year since my last post on Kakuma refugee camp, I thought I'd take a look to see 1) what other information resources have become available in the interim, and 2) what I might have missed the last go-round.
Eidelson, Roy J. & Rebecca Horn. 2008. "Who Wants to Return Home? A Survey of Sudanese Refugees in Kakuma, Kenya." Refuge, vol. 25, no. 1.
Feyissa, Abebe & Rebecca...
A report that comes a human rights group says that Kenya is doing a poor job in resettling people who were displaced after violence. Riots broke out earlier this year after Kenya' election. Over 283,000 people had to flee their homes due to the violence. 80 percent of those people still live in the refugee camps. However, the government of Kenya says that only 5,000 people remain in camps, and they are being taken care of. According to the Associated Press' Tom Odula, the background over the current state of Kenya's displaced is a storied one. Our snippet comes from the Oregon Live.In May, the government began its resettlement program following a power-sharing deal President Mwai Kibaki signed with his then rival, Raila Odinga, to end the violence that claimed more than 1,000 lives....
Out of the eight Millennium Development Goals, Kenya will only be able to meet 2 of them by the target year of 2015. Wycliffe Oparanya, a minister for development for Kenya, gave the update on meeting the goals in a speech Wednesday. The goals that Kenya says they will be able to meet are universal primary education and battling diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria. For not being able to meet the others, Kenya blames the lack of funds from the developed world. Only Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg give the amount aid that is needed for all developing countries to meet the Development Goals. Our snippet contains what Kenya is still lacking. Alphonce Shiundu And Benjamin Muindi, writers for the Nation tell us what Kenya still has to take care of. We found this story...
Today, October 17th, is recognized as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Established by a declaration in the United Nations general assembly in 1992. But it has roots in a demonstration in Paris on this date in 1987.Were getting a lot of items on protests and marches that are going on today. So, here is our first roundup of the events.First, a special stone in Dublin, as told by Charlie Taylor of the Irish Times. A commemorative stone to mark International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been unveiled in Dublin today.The stone, which is situated near to the Famine memorial on Customs House Quay, was unveiled by Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin Emer Costello.The commemorative stone was commissioned by Dublin City Council and Dublin Docklands Authority and is inscribed...
Government, Donors Should Support Commission’s Findings on Election Violence
The Kenyan government and international partners should strongly support the call by the Waki commission investigating post-election violence to create a special tribunal to end Kenya’s cycle of impunity, Human Rights Watch said today....
Documents/Reports from the 59th Executive Committee Meeting:
- List of documents
- Refugee Realities: Meeting the needs of refugees and other people of concern globally. Global Needs Assessment, Pilot Report (Oct. 2008) [report launched during EXCOM; related web page; press release]
Evaluation Reports from the Policy Development and Evaluation Service (PDES):
- Evaluation of UNHCR’s efforts...
In
public health,
Sudan,
evaluation,
human trafficking,
Iraqis,
reintegration,
West Africa,
sexual violence,
voluntary repatriation,
cash benefits,
needs assessment,
internally displaced persons,
kenya
from All Africa By Geofrey KamadiNairobiRina Awinja, her 5-month-old baby, Stanley Lumumba, and her husband, George Oyange, are HIV-positive.The young family depends on Lea Toto, an organisation that takes care of orphaned and vulnerable (OVC) children, providing both nutritional and ARV support.For the past few months, life has been particularly rough for the family, which lives in Nairobi's Kangemi slum. The assistance from Lea Toto has now become inadequate due to rising food prices."Lea Toto is a great help to us, but we are required to cook the food, which has meant that an alternative income source is required," says Awinja.Paul Mulongo, an administrator at the centre, explains that nutrition assistance was initiated at the centre as an HIV intervention strategy to supplement what...
from the Standard Kenya By David Ohito and PMPSPrime Minister Raila Odinga has said the Africa is ready for investment to bring it at par with the developed nations.Raila was speaking in Evian France, where he is attending the World Economic Forum inauguration. The PM said Africa suffered from brain drain, spiralling food prices, poverty, poor sanitation and global warming."What Africa needs now more than ever is trade and investment opportunities, not aid," he observed.He said the continent had realised that good governance and democracy were linked to development, and said Kenya took the route of a coalition government after many lives were lost and thousands displaced after a disputed election.He defended the Government ,saying it was working well."We must compel the international...
from the Standard, Kenya By Peter Okong’oIncreased food insecurity is now the biggest threat to Kenya’s economic development.With the level of malnourishment within the population increasing in tandem with poverty, labour productivity and access to education are rapidly being undermined.When combined with disease, this spells disaster for the country’s battered agricultural sector.Up to 70 per cent of Kenya’s malnourished population are in rural areas. The rest live in the slums that have become a permanent feature in our towns and cities.The most recent blow to Kenya’s food security was the post-election violence that rocked the North Rift region — regarded as the country’s bread basket — in January this year.This region produces most of Kenya’s maize and wheat. There...
I’ve just read “On the Brink of the Precipice: A Human Rights Account of Kenya’s post-2007 Election Violence” (.pdf, 169 pages, ~2mb), an ambitious report by Kenya’s national human rights institution, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) with the technical help of my alma mater No Peace Without Justice.
The bulk of On the [...]...
from the Gulf Times This article show how high inflation has effected farmers in Kenya. - KaleKAGIO, Kenya: Twenty years ago, Benson staked all his assets to venture into lucrative export crops and started growing the French beans so prized by European consumers.But with rampant inflation pushing up his costs and a slumping market for French beans, the ageing Kenyan farmer decided to revert to subsistence crops and “plant for his stomach”.“When prices were good, I was able to build a house, I got a wife and I was able to raise my family,” says Benson Murimi Munga.“Then, the buyers started dropping prices... I was facing losses in terms of what I had invested in the farm in buying fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and labour, I could not recover.”Now the 49-year-old has stopped...
The Climate Change-Displacement Nexus (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, July 2008) [text]
For Disaster IDPs: An Institutional Gap (Brookings Institution, August 2008) [text]
Guiding Principles for Human Rights Field Officers Working in Conflict and Post-conflict Environments (Univ. of Nottingham, July 2008) [text via ReliefWeb]
The Many Faces of Displacement: IDPs in Zimbabwe...
from the Courier Post This story profiles a mission called the Rabuor Village Project, that has targeted a specific community in Kenya that has gone without international aid for years. - KaleBy BARBARA BORSTLoyce Mbewa-Ong'udi was late. Family and friends milled around her parents' house in the green hills overlooking Lake Victoria, waiting for the daughter from America to return home.At last the taxi bounced over the ruts and made a sharp turn into the compound of small brick and stucco houses. Loyce sprang out to a shower of greetings in the Luo language, hugs, helping hands for 12 enormous suitcases crammed with anti-AIDS medicines, asthma inhalers, storybooks, pencils and sharpeners, recycled eyeglasses.The supplies were for the Rabuor Village Project, which Loyce runs. In the...
from St Petersburg NewsI thought this was pretty interesting even though it's a little off topic. This could help development in Kenya, as the country will begin to develop bio-diesel. A tree from South America will be grown in the country that can be used for fuel. - Kale The jatropha plant can grow more than three meters high and produce golf ball-sized fruit. The fruit's poisonous seeds have been mainly used for medicinal purposes, but in recent years, researchers have discovered that the oil in the seeds can be processed into high-quality diesel fuel.A senior official at Kenya's Ministry of Energy, Faith Odongo, tells VOA that preliminary tests have shown that the jatropha tree can be successfully grown in Kenya.She says about 5,000 hectares of land are being set aside for...
Editor’s Note: This post is authored by Acumen Fund Summer Associate Amy Lin. Amy is pursuing an MBA and International Relations MA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, respectively. Her professional interests are in international development in sub-Saharan Africa. She has worked at the World Bank, with TechnoSeve and with the Boston Consulting Group. Amy graduated from Yale with a BA in Political Science.
By Amy Lin
Proving that BoP services and profit can go hand in hand, Nairobi-based Meridian Medical Centre has been profitably operating three outpatient clinics with one-third of its clients earning only $4 a day. In April 2008, Meridian opened a fourth clinic in Doonholm, a...
from the Voice of America A village in eastern Kenya is home to children orphaned by AIDS and the grandparents who now have to take care of them. The village contains services like a school and medical clinic. - Kale By Cathy Majtenyi, Nyumbani Village, Kenya It is lunchtime for the Kametis. Agnes Nzembi and her four grandchildren exchange stories of the day.They live in Nyumbani Village near the eastern Kenyan town of Kitui. But this is a different kind of village. The Kametis and 28 other households are run by an elderly grandparent. The grandparent takes care of up to 11 children. Some of the youngsters are their biological grandchildren. The rest are children from other families.Kavata Kameti says she enjoys living with her grandmother, "She tells me about our forefathers and things...
from the Standard Women have better saving habits, and run small businesses. But a new survey says many remain in poverty in Kenya. This story explains that the poverty continues despite policy changes to try to help. - KaleBy Macharia KamauThe survey, Profile of Women’s Socio-Economic Status in Kenya, done by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) reveals that women operate 54 per cent of all enterprises and more women tend to save compared to men.Poverty, however, is higher among women, with 50 per cent of them in rural and 46 per cent in urban areas being poor. IEA attributed their plight to poor enrolment of girls in secondary schools and higher institutions of learning."Poor participation in higher education leaves women in low paying jobs where they cannot move up the corporate...
Account for ‘Disappeared,’ Investigate Torture and Killings
The Kenyan government should account for dozens of missing people detained during the security operation in Mt. Elgon, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Human Rights Watch also called on Kenya to support independent investigations into torture and war crimes committed by security forces, and urged donors, including London and Washington, to review military aid to Kenya....
The government should make it a priority to end violence against children whether in the home, school or elsewhere, five human rights organizations said today in joint letters to Kenya’s ministers of education, gender and children affairs, and justice....
Aldo Benini was writing about and developing humanitarian information management before I even started my professional career. I’ve always respected his work and was always saddened that we didn’t have more chances to work together. I’ve just discovered that his website makes nearly all of his research is available, including his latest work on Linking [...]...
David Sasaki joins the conversation, which is great - it was starting to feel a little bit like a mens singles tennis match between me and Patrick. Now it’s mens doubles, or something. David starts with a strong serve, although his accusation that
Both men seem to have the academic tendency to speak in aphorisms
seems a [...]...
from All Africa The Nation (Nairobi)By Godffrey OlaliNairobiCivil society groups have observed critical gaps in some key deliberations made at the recently concluded Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).The meeting which took place in Yokohama, Japan, between May 28 and 30, has met stiff criticism from key players, who are afraid that Tokyo might not be at a vantage position to present Africa's problems during next month's G8 summit in Japan."Japanese and African civil society have noted with disappointment the omission of civil society as participants in the proposal for the follow -up mechanism," observes Ms Sue Mbaya, an Advocacy director with World Vision, African region.She cited the trade agenda as a key issue which was not properly tackled during...
from Afriquenligne Nairobi, Kenya - Apart from conflict, other key factors fuelling displace ment of people in the world are poverty, bad governance and scarce resources, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said here Friday.Guterres, in Kenya on a tour that has seen him meet refugees and Kenyan Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), says the UN refugee agency, formed in 1951, has see n changes in factors contributing to displacement of persons.The agency was with the specific mandate of protecting and finding solutions for Europeans uprooted in the aftermath of the Second World War.That was then, but in a message to the world as the globe marked the World Refugee Day, Guterres said new challenges such as the recent fuel and food shortages, have had an immediate and...
from the Christian Science Monitor The Millennium Villages Project is pricey. But it may hold answers to tackling the global food crisis.By Eliza BarclaySauri, Kenya - The dry months of April, May, and June were once equated with hunger for Agre Ranyondo and his neighbors in this community of 55,000 people.Mr. Ranyondo, a farmer, waited for the rains to come before he could plant corn on his six-acre plot. Often the 10 bags of corn he harvested through two planting seasons weren't enough to feed his family of eight.But the cycle of hunger was broken last year.The change began in 2005, when Ranyondo met with agricultural extension workers dispatched by the Millennium Villages Project (MVP), an international organization conceived by economist Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University's Earth...