Habari Zenu?: Mzuri Sana!

HABARI ZENU? MZURI SANA!

WHERE’S KENYA? • Eastern KenyaArabic Influence Coastal Desert Central Kenya Urban • The Rift Valley The Great Divide • Western Rural/Agricultural

Kenya Fast Facts • British Colony until 1964 • 2! democratically(?) elected presidents • Population is 33 million people • 42 tribes and distinct languages • Official language is English and Kiswahili

What is Sustainable Economic Development?

Programs financed by investments that generate measureable returns and ensure continuation of project. It is GRASSROOTS 

New Jobs Making mosquito nets vs. donated nets

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New industries Making paper from bagasse

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New technology Creation of “outsourcing industry”

One solution is Micro Finance.. • Micro loans provide capital for people to start micro enterprises.

How it Works •Prescribed payback period at low interest rate •Forced savings to collateralize the loan •Loans guaranteed by borrower’s group members •High borrower repayment rates

Pros and....  People are able to generate small income Provides people with “employment” Provides people with dignity

Cons  Locks people into cycle of borrowing and repayment  Restricts income potential  Loan funds and resulting income are simply recycled within the closed economy of their community

 85% of micro finance clients are women with families

HAVE YOUR HEARD? Educating girls is the single most effective tool for creating sustainable change Why Girls? Educating girls is a PROACTIVE solution With education, girls can make good choices before they are locked into the cycle of poverty

LIKE WHAT?  For every extra year of school she completes, she delays her choice to marry by 5 years.  She has fewer children and her children are more likely to go to school  for every year of schooling, infant mortality declines by 5–10% and she is much more likely to have her children immunized  HIV infection rates for girls are cut in half  In Kenya, providing girls one extra year of education beyond the average boosts their eventual wages by 30%

One Girl’s Life in Kenya in 2009 This is Sylvia Mmasi, Her mom and her five brothers and sisters live in a tiny mud walled house with no electricity. Sylvia’s dad died of AIDS a few years ago, and the family’s sole source of income is from the sale of “changa”, a potent and illegal home brew her mom makes and Sylvia sells when she isn’t at school. Inebriated customers coming and going at all hours and the lack of fuel for the lantern make it pretty difficult for Sylvia to complete her homework. In spite of this, academically Sylvia is ranked 10th out of 127 students in her class. Ironically, Sylvia is one of the luckier girls in Kakamega.

Challenges most girls in rural Kenya face • By the time Kenyan girls are 19 years old, 23% are pregnant with their first child or are already mothers. Thus, about half of the girls who have sex by age 18 get pregnant in the first year: that’s a quarter of all Kenyan girls. • Due to lack of reproductive education, these girls don’t have any knowledge about the transmission of HIV, resulting in a high rate of infection for girls under age 29; • • •

*By Age 15-19 3% girls are HIV positive *By Age 20-24 9% young women HV positive *By Age 25-29 13% women are HIV positive

• Girls in Kenya a 5 TIMES more likely to be HIV postive than boys.

WHAT IS BEING DONE? , a Chico based non profit, has joined the fight. In Kakamega, Kenya, we provide educational programs that create a throughout the community. Our holistic programs teaches girls to make new choices and to participate in the future economic and political development of Kenya.  Girl MPower Camps  Girl MiniPower Camps  Parent Training Seminars  Math and Science Awards  Gap year internships  Female role models

YOU can HELP! • Help us NETWORK with potential donors • Sponsor a special event • Monetary Donation… Because of the ripple effect, JOP’s programs

actually increase the value of every dollar we receive. How? Girls → Classmates → Neighbors → Parents → Communities → Country

Global Citizenship Fighting poverty in developing countries is like eating an

We believe change starts with one person:

just one person who cares can help just one person in need. 

www.just1person.org

ASANTE SANA NA KWAHERI!