Written by Michael Sutton
Editorial: Kenya
The clock is ticking a countdown of death.
As America and its allies spend billions of dollars to protect Iraq, whose population largely wants us to leave, not much is being done to save the millions of people who are truly suffering in Kenya. This is not a terrorist nation, not anything that would threaten our security. But what hypocrites are we to say that we are in Iraq to spread the word of democracy’s greatness when 500 people are dying every day in Kenya, and we act as if it’s not as important as the war in Iraq, which we started ourselves.
We call ourselves “the good guys.” While the heroism of our troops is unquestionable, our motives are not. The money that has been spent to kill insurgents in Iraq could have been used to try and save lives in Kenya. Unfortunately for Kenya, its residents are black and poor. Let’s be blunt here. If Kenya was occupied by whites or had large amounts of wealth, oil or other valuable natural resources, there wouldn’t need to be a One campaign or even this editorial.
The AIDS virus is killing an average of 500 people daily in Kenya, according to Agence-France Presse. However tragic that is – and it is a chilling, depressing statistic – the problems in Kenya dig deeper beneath the skin. It is a country that has, in many ways, not been able to keep up with technological advances, even the most basic items that many people take for granted. There is a forgotten storyline in the Kenya crisis, one that is also creating tremendous suffering for its people right now and in the future.
Pastor Alberto Cordero of WORD International Church in Los Angeles, CA is among the concerned Americans who recently visited Kenya, and what he witnessed shocked and saddened him; it went beyond what is usually reported on the news, which has been casting a spotlight on the AIDS epidemic. In fact, Cordero saw the real root of Kenya’s heartaches, horrifying living conditions that can only spread more disease; they represent another tragedy itself, one that is hardly ever reported yet aches for an equal amount of the world’s assistance. Cordero visited places called estates, which were definitely not the glamorous structures normally associated with that term. “These areas are very poor,” Cordero recalled. According to Cordero, in Nairobi “bathrooms are shared by the community. If in a modest apartment, you still do not have the luxury of having your own bathroom. It is still shared by the tenants.” The houses themselves were as far from the definition of home as it could get; they symbolized poverty in its extreme, essentially deathbeds in the waiting. In provinces such as Eldoret, Cordero saw houses made of cow dung. “You get used to the smell after a while,” Cordero said.
Think about it: Homes produced from animal feces. Can you imagine anything more repellent? We’re spending millions of dollars to put people in body bags yet can’t afford to save a population from sleeping under cow dung.
And we call ourselves “the good guys”?
It gets worse.
According to Cordero, there is no proper drainage and waste management systems in Kenya. In other words, they are surrounded by human waste. “The smell of urine and dung is very evident,” Cordero revealed. Given that the area is extremely crowded, it doesn’t take a creative brain to illustrate the disturbing picture of a congested population enveloped by feces and urine. In addition, newspapers have replaced toilet paper and dirty water is reused to wash dishes. With no zoning and waste management regulations in place, Kenya is not a ticking time bomb but a minefield that is ready to blow.
The crisis in Kenya is larger and more complex than many have imagined; it isn’t just about AIDS. Far from it. There are a vast number of people with or without the disease who are barely clinging on to life. “The scale is of such magnitude that when one compares it to even the developing areas around the world, it would pale in comparison,” Cordero revealed. “It really feels like they have been forgotten and left to fend for themselves. It is just surprising how the people have learned to adapt to their surroundings.”
Unfortunately, a vast number of Kenyans have accepted these arrangements as a way of life, most likely because nobody has been offering them enough financial assistance or showing them how to live better. Ignored by the rest of the world, they have accepted their dismal fate. “They are used to the poverty and simplicity of life,” Cordero observed.
While large volumes of money are being sent to Kenya, the people are not receiving it quick enough. Moreover, the problems in Kenya are not going to vanish merely through monetary contributions although those are seriously needed. It needs the combined will of an entire world that, for the most part, acted as if they did not exist. To understand its scope, one needs to see the whole picture, a nation that is crying for help but has given up on waiting.
Among the solutions to Kenya’s problems is enlightenment. People need to volunteer their services in Kenya, help its population learn how to deal with their major issues. Cordero explained that, “Education and training would be critical. Helping the people think and dream again are major challenges. Believe it or not, they dream of being self-supporting and not needing to be a burden. Some of them have plans because they know their situation and have many ideas on how to improve their lot.” In other words, financial assistance isn’t enough. Giving fish to people doesn’t show them how to be fishermen. They also need to be given the opportunity to save themselves but for that they need knowledge.
If America and the rest of the G8 are supposed to be role models for the rest of the world, they should take action, show everybody why we are “the good guys” instead of simply boasting about it. Right now there is no substance to that claim; we have expressed our military power yet little of the compassion and righteous ideals we are supposed to symbolize.
The clock is ticking, and there can be no more minutes wasted.
Each second is a life passing by.
Every minute rips a family apart.
Every day casts a shadow on our guilty consciences.
