Kenya Demographics

Word from our Regional Coordinator is that we will be starting language school on January 4th. We will be attending the Anglican Church of Kenya Language School in Nairobi. The following weekend, January 9th and 10th, two lay missioners, one from Kitale and one from Mombasa, will be joining us for our in-country orientation.

We've been working on our regional studies to learn more about Kenya. I thought I'd share some things I've found interesting.

The majority of Kenyans (56%) are living in poverty. Approximately 23% are considered to live in extreme poverty with an income of less than $1 a day. The typical daily wage for an unskilled worker is $1.35. The Gross Domestic Product is $550 per person. Subsistence farming on small plots of rain-fed agriculture is the most common occupation (75% of the population). Only 20% of the land is Kenya is arable and thus able to be farmed. Informal service jobs such as selling vegetables, transporting items by hand, guarding property, working as a "house girl" are typical ways to earn income.

Kenya is made up of 42 different ethnic groups with a population of 40,000,000. There are also an estimated 234,000 refugees in Kenya from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, the Congo, and Uganda. The majority of Kenyans are Christians. Protestants are 45% of the population, Catholics are 33%, Muslims are estimated at 10% with the final 12% holding traditional beliefs.

Education is valued in the Kenyan society. Parents will do everything in their power to provide an education for their children. In 2003 a policy of universal free primary education was announced. However, the reality is that many students are still unable to attend school. Why? There are not enough schools or teachers. Classrooms are overcrowded. There is an average of 50+ children per primary teacher. The target of three students per textbook is not being met due to a lack of textbooks. Incidental costs of having a child in school include uniforms, pencils and paper, lunch, or school improvements which many families cannot afford. Net primary school enrollment is estimate to be 76%. Of those children who do enroll in primary school only 73% ever reach fifth grade. Secondary education, vocational training and university are fee-based which are beyond the means of the majority. The estimate of high-school aged youth attending secondary school range from only 12 - 30%.

The life expectancy in Kenya is 48 years. The three diseases causing the greatest health care problems are malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS. The rate of AIDS infection is estimated from 7 - 15% of the adult population. Approximately 1.2 million Kenyans are currently infected. One hundred children die of malaria each day. Many of these deaths could be prevented with adequate health care and the proper administration of medicine. Medical personnel are too few and often poorly trained.

There are approximately one million AIDS orphans. Churches and NGOs are building orphanages and children's homes, but they are overwhelmed. Then there is the problem that children in these facilities lose their connections to their home community and have no where to go when they become adults other than the streets.

Can't you see why education and health are the two area in which Maryknoll Lay Missioners are focusing their efforts in Kenya?

Make sure to check the Prayer link from time to time. We have learned so many new and great prayers in our time here at Bethany. I am adding ones that I especially like and think you might also want to pray from time to time.