I grew up
in Kibera slum. Kibera is the second-largest urban slum in Africa and the
largest in Kenya. The description of Kibera varies depending on your experience
and the time you have spent in the community. This description shocks me
"Kibera is heavily polluted by human refuse, garbage, soot, dust, and
other wastes. The slum is contaminated with human and animal feces, due to the
open sewage system and the frequent use of "flying toilets."
The lack
of sanitation combined with poor nutrition among the residents accounts for
many illnesses and diseases". This kind of description opens opportunities
for many philanthropists, development agencies, and other well-wishers who want
to support.
Most
developing countries are flocked by non-government organizations and other
development agencies. The different organizations have developed different
strategies to rescue the situation. However, the real test comes when those
countries are struck by disasters or in case of a pandemic like Covid-19.
COVID-19 is
a real test for development agencies, cooperates, philanthropists, governments,
and others to understand if some of their interventions have been working. Are
we more focused on relief or development in our responses? Relief can be
defined as responding to the needs of people temporarily. How does it look
like? Instead of training jobless people on job skills, you consistently give
them handouts while they are capable of working, donating food to a family
every so often. Don't get me wrong; there are instances when relief is the only
way to meet the needs of people.
Development
can be defined as "the process of economic and social transformation that
is based on complex cultural and environmental factors and their
interactions." Development takes time. Some of Garden of Hope Foundation's
interventions have been relief, but we have been reflecting and developing new
ways to continue to ensure our responses are sustainable post COVID-19
We should
continue working on interventions that can focus on creating more sustainable
jobs, offering quality education, and ensuring access to quality health care
among the citizens. After COVID-19, it would be time for us to rethink some of
our interventions.