We humans are a paradox- we a very complex in our biological function yet very simple to understand in terms of behavior- The way our brains take and passive free goodies is very different on our it passive hard worked for things. And you are left wondering why neurosurgeon is much different to psychologist!
Our behavior can be compared to an experiment conducted on two dogs (not that we are dogs, don’t get it twisted). One of the dogs, lets name it eeeh what’s that name again? Rex, let’s call it the dog’s common name Rex! It was given to hunters, and the instructions were very clear on how to treat Rex- it was to be trained to hunt, and every time it successfully completed a hunter, it was given the first share of the meat. Over several hunts, Rex was motivated to hunt and was excited every time it was hunting time, its speed and wit increased improving its efficiency in hunting. It became a healthy, happy and hardworking dog.
And then there was the other dog, what can we call it? Max is the name, it’s not that its special but I picked it just because it rhymes with Rex. The instructions given to the hunters about Max were also clear- it was to remain at home, not subjected to any work, given food routinely and allowed to roam around. Max was enjoying life of free food and no work. Overtime Max became lazy, less lively and playful with its food. When the hunters deliberately skipped feeding Max with an open opportunity to hunt for food, it could rather stay and wait for free food.
Enough with the dogs! We are familiar with the saying, give a beggar free fish every time he/she comes to ask for food and will show up every single time he is hungry. But teach the beggar how to fish and he/she will fend for him/herself and will never show up at your doorstep again… You would have probably saved an entire generation from hunger by reducing dependency. This is comparable to Rex and Max. Rex having being taught that hunting brings food, even when left on its own it will use its skills to hunt and get food. For Max, getting free food without work might just make it starve to death if left unfed or even resort to other vices like stealing for a quick and easy fix.
So is charity and free food effective in poverty and hunger eradication? My answer is NO! Free goodies is not entirely that good. There are several relief organizations in Kenya and the number seems to be growing lately, from Humanitarian Africa Relief Organization, Islamic Relief Kenya Somali Programme and CARE International Kenya to Kenya Red Cross, World Vision and the many UN organizations. The question is, has poverty and hunger really been managed? From what I have noticed, we are stake in the same vicious circle year in year out. From annual floods, droughts, community clashes leading to hundreds of deaths yearly, and high child mortality rate due to malnutrition ( 340,000 children below the age of five are malnourished) and poor healthcare and hygiene. During such calamities, these organizations ran to offer humanitarian and relief services. They bring food and water, clothing, shelter (tents) and healthcare temporally and then they leave, this is an easy fix. They will wait till the next disaster strikes again (which is inevitable because no measures have been put in place to prevent and manage such disasters). It will be a routine for them, year in year out, and the circle will always continue without a permanent and a sustainable solution to these problems.
According to the latest Red Cross statistics 2017, the number of Kenyans needing emergency relief food has doubled in the last four months to about 3 million people. This is solely due to the worsening of the devastating drought experienced in Kenya. “The situation is getting worse every day. Malnutrition rates among children are steadily climbing. Children are getting sick, and livelihoods of families have been decimated following the loss of thousands of their livestock,” Dr Abbas Gullet, secretary-general of the Kenya Red Cross Society, said in a statement. “It is more and more difficult for people to access water – people are having to travel for up to three times as long just to get water for their family….” Sadly, are this not the same situation we experience every year despite all the charity, relief and humanitarian services of all kinds? So what’s the catch here?
Turkanas’ and the Pokots’ are always the worst affected, in addition to the drought, famine, malnutrition, poor healthcare and education, high child mortality rate, there is also frequent tribal clashes among these pastoral communities resulting into several deaths and displacement of people. These calamities only attract more aid and relief and not real and sustainable solutions. Just like a friend of mine from West Pokot told me, the Turkanas’ ant the Pokots’ are so used to relief food that they are no longer willing to work or to farm, because all they need to do is wait for the relief food. This mentality always put them at high risk of famine, which is always the case. He further said, he is working to help break this mentality by offering mentorship regarding agricultural activities to provide a sustainable solution to hunger in that region.
Relief and aid is always an excuse for the government not to do its mandate. Constructing dikes and better drainage to prevent the periodic floods which destroys property worth millions of shilling, crops and loss of life is a problem that the government is responsible to solve, and not waiting for relief and free staff to cover up temporally. Building dams, drilling boreholes, water desalination, creating irrigation schemes, education and initiating alternative sustainable economic activities to eradicate hunger and poverty is government’s responsibility to its people. Not being comfortable with aids and relief given to its people which is short lived. They expected relief organization to provide free health care to their citizens yet it is its responsibility as a government.
Do you remember Max? Continuous relief makes us more like Max, reliant on free things to the point where we can’t hunt on our own. Relief should be used to get people back on their feet, strong enough to teach them how to hunt for food and a better livelihood so that they would not need relief and aid next time. It should not be used as an alternative livelihood. That is the reason why we are having more and more relief organization while famine, hunger, poverty, name them is also on the rise, a clear indication that we are doing it all wrong. Rex is the way to go
Let’s teach our people to hunt too. Empower them to be able to fend for themselves, let relief not be an alternative livelihood to them and use it as an excuse for our own and government’s failure. Until then, we will hear these stories every year- “We are running out of words to describe the situation in affected parts of Kenya, and across the region,” said Fatoumata Nafo-Traore, the International Federation of Red Cross regional director for Africa. “Our message is simple: humanitarian organisations need resources to respond at the scale that is needed. If we don’t, then thousands of people may die, and children will be affected for the rest of their lives. “And we won’t be able to say ‘we didn’t know’.”
belinenyangi'sdiscussion#oursociety# 