KENYA
+ SHIKUNGA
ABOUT KENYA
Kenya is an East African country with a population
of approximately 43 million. Located on the
equator and bordered by the Indian Ocean,
Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia,
Kenya enjoys a variety of different climates from
cool and dry in it’s capital to warm and humid
around Lake Victoria.
Kenya has a rich cultural history and is the home
to more than 70 tribal groups. It is also home to
some of the most stunning natural beauty and
diverse wildlife on the planet - from the lions and
elephants of the Masai Mara to the monkeys and
hippos of the Western lakes and forests. As one of
East Africa’s thriving tourist hubs it attracts visitors
from around the globe and we encourage each of
our volunteers to sample Kenya’s beautiful natural
history and highlights as time permits.
On the flip side, poverty continues to be a huge
problem in Kenya with more than 50% of the
population living below the poverty line and
40% living on less than $2 a day. One of the main
reasons for this enduring poverty is the high
level of communicable disease. Diseases such
as HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, diarrhoeal disease and
respiratory infection all contribute to staggeringly
high levels of child and maternal mortality. Sadly
these mortality rates are actually increasing.
8
ABOUT SHIKUNGA
Located in Kenya’s Western Province is Shikunga
- a remote village home to approximately 20,000 30,000 people.
Kenya’s Western province is particularly lush
and fertile due to the relatively large amounts of
rainfall it receives. There are two wet seasons each
year - the long rains between May and June and
the short rains between December and January.
As such, the villages of Western Kenya provide
rich agricultural land and are used extensively
for farming food crops such as maize, beans and
vegetables alongside cash-crops such as tea and
coffee. Most of the population are subsistence
farmers - growing what they need to survive so poverty remains a big issue. When the rains
don’t come famine strikes, and not just for the
communities in the West. Prices for basic food
staples rise throughout the country, putting more
and more families and communities at risk for
malnutrition and disease.
Like most rural communities, most households in
Shikunga lack access to basic infrastructure such
as paved roads, electricity and running water. Until
the establishment of the Kenya Aid hospital there
was also no access to health care services of any
kind in the village - the closest health facility was
many hours away and out of reach for most of
the population.