Rose of Tralee Aoife Kelly in Kenya
01/04/2009 00:01:00
The 2008 Rose of Tralee, Aoife Kelly, visited Kenya in March 2009 as part of her role as official ambassador for Irish development charity VSO. Aoife spent a week visiting VSO funded programmes in two of its main goal areas – secure livelihoods and disability.
Poverty in Kenya is a national concern 14.6 per cent of the population is unemployed and 45 per cent of this number is under 25. The high level of unemployment has a direct impact on poverty and social problems. It is estimated that 1.3 million children under the age of 15 have disabilities in Kenya. On the basis of these statistics Aoife visited a number of programmes that VSO run to support unemployment and tackle disability.
Project visits
Aoife began the week by visiting HSCH a local NGO who encourage capacity building of self-help groups and individual farmers with new technologies in sustainable agriculture. Part of the visit involved a visit to a local biodiesel project. The biodiesel project was set up with VSO support to provide alternative income to farmers in the Naru Moru district and to also provide low-cost fuel for farming and other activities.
Next stop was the Laikipia Educational Assessment and Resource centre, which of course was of special interest as Aoife is a trained occupational therapist. VSO works in disability because four out of the ten poorest people in society in Kenya are disabled. It is estimated that there are 3.4 million disabled people in Kenya.
Combating stigma
Traditionally, disabled people have been hidden from their communities and are not seen as equal and valued members. There families suffer stigma; while the disabled person is often the victim of neglect and abuse, both physical and sexual.
On visiting the centre Aoife said, “It was heartbreaking to learn that many of the 3.4 million disabled people in Kenya are seen as second class citizens who should be locked away and only two per cent are in education. Although our own health service has its flaws in Ireland it really makes you think when you visit somewhere like this centre that is trying to combat this stigma.”
Rural Kenya
The VSO funded programme Aoife visited was the Laikipia Educational Assessment and Resource centre (EARC), which was established in 1994. EARC is one of the district assessment centres throughout the country that offer Kenya’s children with disabilities up to the age of 16, assessment, treatment, education and aids. Parents receive advice and guidance to enable them to look after their children and help them with the necessary training.
The final leg of the trip was a visit to the Il’Ngwesi Maasi Community Group. The Il’Ngwesi are a rural community who live in an isolated part of Kenya. The Ranch has set aside around 60 per cent of land for wildlife conservation, and this land is also used by the community to graze cattle but only in drought periods. The remainder of the ranch is used by members of the communities to live, cultivate, and graze cattle.
A deeply moving experience
Mostly men manage the Ranch while the women normally undertake income-generating activities making bead products for sale at the Il Ngwesi Lodge, as well as undertake household chores, fetching water and firewood.
Aoife was deeply moved by her visit to Kenya and commenting on the weeklong experience she said, “Some locals have said that VSO have given them knowledge and power because without knowledge they would have no power – that touched my heart”.
The Il Ngwesi project is an example of how VSO works to support disadvantaged communities and in particular women in rural areas.
