I am currently pursuing an Msc in Development Studies at Jomo Kenyatta University (JKUAT), and as such I wanted us to indulge on the relevance and opportune time for Kenya’s development and that of Africa’s through the ‘Sauti Kuu‘ Foundation, the literal translation being powerful voices for our future generations.
Today, this auspicious sports, resource and vocational training centre was opened by none other than former President Barack Obama accompanied by chief guests and more especially the Executive chairperson of the foundation Miss Rita Auma Obama. What does this foundation hope to achieve for the people of Kogelo, Kenya and Africa at large? The foundation aims to provide educational, economic, cultural, skills, career training and build a generation of confident and self-reliant youth and young people that will transform Africa and the world. To paraphrase the words of Obama, ” I saw the possibility , the hope we can become better than we are”. Indeed, the audacity of hope that can transform the world just as it did his to become a global citizen, American president and the influential world leader that he has become.
Development is a process of time and not a singular event. For Kenya and Africa, the list of derailments to achieving inclusive and sustainable development is way too long. To name but a few we have corruption, nepotism, negative ethnicity, poverty, unemployment et cetera. Despite these mammoth of challenges; reigns hope supreme that in a developing country such as Kenya economic progress, stimulation and prosperity can be achieved through its often neglected and forgotten ‘youth’.
When the youth, both boys and girls are brought together under a functioning entity there is no telling where the ceiling will end in their future progress. The foundation’s three pillars are: personality development, education and training and sustainable economic growth. Personality development involves workshops, sports and creative activities such as dance, music and theatre. Education and training promotes tutoring, school sponsorship, vocational-training projects and career guidance on their way into working life. Lastly, we have one of the most challenging pillars namely; sustainable economic growth. This programme will address money-management skills and conveys knowledge about environment-conscious cultivation techniques, and livestock breeding and water management. This foundation is a meshing and melting point of divergent development partners in this case the developed Germany and our current developing country of Kenya.
In a nutshell, this initiative will help in fulfilling (4) aims out of the (17) of the Sustainable development goals (SDGs), to transform Kenya, Africa and our world. These are gender equality; industry, innovation and infrastructure; reduced inequality; and sustainable cities and communities.
As a student of development, I invite all stakeholders, policy makers, global citizens and development partners to adopt this model of change within our own souls and then internalize it to the rest of our society and the world- to save the current rising generation out of ignorance, idleness and poverty!
