Seven-fold Multiplication Factor
CES Canada Attacks the Roots of Poverty
Acute poverty is defined as a family of four earning less than one dollar a day. In rural western Kenya this is a reality that undermines the very fabric of society. Unemployment among young people has reached a crisis proportion.
Rapid population growth is a key factor. Kenya's population has nearly quadrupled in just 50 years with 60% percent of the population being under 24 years old. This ensures a rapid and unsustainable population growth.
Another reality is low quality education. Even as more young people are graduating from high school and college, they lack the skills required to compete in the workplace. Kenya’s education system needs intentional reform.
The present system is antiquated, largely based on a rote learning paradigm left over from 20th century colonial influences. The skill of solving complex problems and the use of strategic planning methodologies in a holistic learning environment cannot emerge from a lock step approach driven by factual memorization. To move from the information age to a more conceptual and abstract approach will be difficult.
Kenya’s economy is primarily agrarian. Land ownership however is changing and fewer farmers are working. Environmental changes and land degradation through deforestation have all served to lower productivity and increase the price of food. Nutrition and adequate food supply for the poor is at a critical stage where health and growth development for children are at risk. It takes more effort and time to obtain the basics of life. Education for many is but a dream when finding a meal every other day is the norm.
Rapid growth in Kenya’s service industry is unprecedented. This includes telecommunications, warehousing, transport, banking, security and insurance and tourism. The problem lies in the fact that growth in these areas have the lowest multiplier effect, hence has the least potential to create jobs for the majority of unskilled high school graduates. Strong growth in agriculture and industry are likely to have the largest potential to generate improved economic growth and employment opportunities.
Since 2009 the scourge of HIV/Aids has lost some of its sting; however, it is still a fact that many of the most productive wage earners, parents in the prime of their working careers have died. This has left 1.2 million orphaned children under the age of 19 years. Grandmothers help to raise the children; however they do not add to the economy or create a vibrant work environment. Too much energy and time is used dealing with all the societal issues stemming from this pandemic. Some rural communities have been hit so hard that attendance at funerals precludes active employment.
Kenya’s youth are discouraged and many have stopped seeking employment. Young people hang about with little prospect for change. There is a sense of hopelessness that pervades. It is felt by all those who long to attend school but cannot due to lack of school fees. Two generations have suffered from neglect and the lack of national policies that could strengthen local communities.
Youth unemployment needs concrete solutions to turn the tide. The right to education for all children and youth remains fundamental to any change for the better. The work of CES Canada in rural western Kenya has been ongoing over the past ten years. Over 1200 scholarships have provided a base for 330 KCSE graduates to improve their chances to find work. 40 CES graduates have gone on to higher education. These are emerging as young people who are motivated and now see themselves as productive and competent. Best of all, they exhibit the “seven-fold multiplication” factor. Each will in their own way and time reach out to at least seven others to give them the same chance they received through CES Canada.
