Looking to the future (by Mike)

A key scene from the film The Matrix sees Morpheus offering Neo two choices, in the form of a red or a blue pill. Whichever pill he chooses affects his immediate and eventual destiny. Obviously this is pretty symbolic for many individual choices we have to make, from the biggest to the smallest issues. Together Becky and I took what seemed like a big decision last year to leave the UK for warmer climes, and our lives have been radically different as a result. There are of course however regular thoughts of 'what if?' in case we had made a different decision, and how our perception of the world might have differed as a result.

Frequent visits into the community give ample opportunities to witness 'real life'. I guess before visiting Africa my perceptions of life here were principally informed by news reports and snapshots from events such as Comic Relief. With technology's perks it is easy enough to share photos and video, but there is always a deeper dimension to the experience when actually surrounded by the sights, sounds, smells and noises.

The current visit from a large group (28 strong) of teachers from the UK is providing another opportunity to view people taking their first steps into an unfamiliar culture, which affords an opportunity to remember our own early experiences from May 2010 onwards.

Most striking are the perceptions of poverty and the quick adjustment that is often needed to preconceived ideas. For most visitors the strangest aspect to comprehend is the unexpected juxtaposition of very familiar traces of home with the signs of poverty for which many were mentally preparing. A walk into town takes in scruffy shop signs, roaming animals, vibrant red dust (soon to be mud!) and litter on the streets, but this is punctuated by the increasingly widespread appearance of mobile phones and the smart corporate or government vehicles seen driving between offices. Within 30m of our stone-walled house is a collection of mud-walled, tin-roofed properties that collect their water from a nearby shallow well, yet these properties are also boasting electricity and in one case a television. A meal of ugali (maize meal) and greens will be accompanied as a treat by a branded coca-cola (only 16p for 330ml...how much does your can cost...?!), and men routinely disappear on weekend afternoons into packed halls to watch the latest game for their heroes from Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. Those adamant that Liverpool remains a big club might be concerned to find that no-one believes that to be the case here!!

There are other things which are hard to miss when arriving. Those used to walking down a crowded street in silence will be taken aback by the incessant greetings and vibrant community spirit. A visit to even a strangers' home is considered a blessing and will result in a warm welcome inside, a chat and a not-to-be-refused offer of whatever drink or snack they are able to provide. It's also noticeable how (generally) well behaved children are, considered locally to be as a result of enforcing discipline in the home and in school - an interesting discussion point with teachers from the UK! My mum's stories of amazing fruit and vegetables have definitely proved true, and despite being considered to have so little, there is also much less sign of heart disease, stress or of dissatisfaction with life.

Most people we meet have very fixed ideas about the wonders of life in countries like England, fed by a combination of the media, chinese whispers and the example they see of visitors who appear to have excessive spending power and a range of nice clothes and gadgets. Understandably it's hard to argue that life in the UK does have it's perks, but the handful of local people we know who have visited the UK have almost without fail been shocked by some aspects of our culture - particularly the lack of discipline in children, the low value placed by some on making the best of the educational opportunities provided, the excesses of food and material possessions, the absence of community spirit, the availability and damaging side effects of drinking, sex and drugs, and also the high levels of stress, ill health and depression.

My work for the past 5 years in England was within a government-funded initiative aiming to prevent a council estate in Southampton from dropping further behind other areas of the city. In fact, our principal targets were to catch up and even overtake the city averages in a wide range of indicators including preventing crime, raising educational attainment, increasing those supporting themselves through work, making the area look better, raising the level of health, and encouraging more community activities. It's hard not to apply the same thinking to the work we are involved with here, which provokes a certain level of concern regarding some areas.

There is already a very high level of unemployment (locally 50%+) in this pocket of Kenya, and new job opportunities are rare outside of the bigger towns. The quality and quantity of the harvest will make or break a household's chances for the year ahead, and changing weather patterns are playing havoc with agricultural work. It's hard not to note that many people in rural areas are relying on small retail enterprises to supplement the subsistence farming. We are already seeing larger supermarkets become increasingly dominant in urban areas, and a quick glance around the UK will provide a salient reminder of how quickly small village retailers can be put out of business by the larger operations with greater convenience, range and purchasing power. Furthermore, some manual tradespeople are seeing their work placed under threat by imported machines and goods (e.g. brick makers and tool manufacturers to name just two), and anyone wishing to work in an office must now be conversant with IT - quite a major barrier for the many living without sight of electricity, let along a computer!

From our time here we're increasingly convinced that the two principal sources of hope for the future remain in improving education and health - particularly access to clean water. The visit of the teachers has drawn our attention again towards the schools. With primary education now free for all the basic levels are increasing, yet uptake of secondary and higher education is primarily determined by the financial status of the family. Many people known to us are at present struggling to raise the school fees for their families, and if they are not successful the children in question are denied the education they crave.

We also see that if electricity and IT can be provided in new areas, it would provide narrow the gap for those dropping out of the bottom of society and allow many to be able to take advantage of future opportunities in the job market. It is also noticeable how an awareness of world issues and a wider perspective is also changing ingrained attitudes (for better or the worse - there are differing local views!) towards belief systems, corruption and personal aspirations.

Having become involved in some work on climate change and energy during my last I'd personally love to see a massive introduction of renewable energy sources. However, investment in most things is slow to reach the rural areas and it seems the introduction of solar panels and other technologies is a distant yet achievable goal.

There exists a massive need and opportunity for development in this and many other places to improve the quality of life here which is of course why we're in Kenya, yet we feel an increasingly conviction that the best route for future development is through training local people. Having been here for some time we see how people from outside are often viewed as being the solution for a better future, yet the real value of visitors is often measured in what is left behind when they leave. We are frequently witnessing the benefits of local people being trained over a period of time by their own peers who innately understand the culture and are here for the long term. That is why we feel the most important aspect of our work here is to train and equip local people to continue the work. There is definitely a benefit from short term visitors who encourage and bring new knowledge and enthusiasm, and there is undoubtedly a need for fixed term development projects that contribute better facilities and infrastructure. However, the best hope for the future seems to be for local people to get a good school education, to gather knowledge to aid their daily lives, and to learn how to help themselves.

Even when in the film Neo chose the red pill to enter the matrix, he then had to learn how best to make use of the time and opportunities in front of him. It's clear to us that having chosen to move out here we also have a responsibility to use our time wisely in order to best help the work to develop here. It's also obvious that we're also learning a lot; about ourselves, about human nature, and about culture. It's often portrayed here that the West have all the answers, and the developing world has all the needs. Our experiences so far do not completely back that up and we feel strongly that our efforts should be directed towards ensuring that any work we are doing is passed onto others to continue longer term. Training others often feels like the harder option, yet that is what we signed up for any will continue doing for as long as we are here.