In the coffee fields of Kenya: pesticides burn children's hands and faces and leave painful wounds. (World).When Martha Wamboi's father died four years ago, her mother was left to care for six children alone. Martha was soon forced to drop out of school to help support the family. Now, the 13-year-old rises before dawn to work, barefoot, in the vast coffee fields of Kenya. "I don't want to go picking coffee," says Martha, as she lugs a large metal container of coffee beans up a long ramp. "I want to go back to school." Martha is just one of an estimated 4 million child laborers in Kenya. Instead of attending school, these children work for pennies an hour, day in and day out Adv. 1. day in and day out - without respite; "he plays chess day in and day out" all the time . More than one million young people work in agriculture--harvesting coffee, tea, and other crops. At night, they go home to small, rundown houses clustered along dirt roads. "There is trash everywhere," says Len Morris, a documentary filmmaker who has spent the past two years filming child labor child labor, use of the young as workers in factories, farms, and mines. Child labor was first recognized as a social problem with the introduction of the factory system in late 18th-century Great Britain. across the globe. "There are no public services Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing private provision of services. , so the trash has to be burned." And because there are no plumbing facilities, waste water runs in streams through the villages. The Price of an Education Most Kenyans live on less than a dollar a day. So it is not surprising that many children are working instead of attending school. "Over 60 percent of the population lives below the poverty line," says Peter Munene, a social worker in Nairobi. "Now what would be the alternative for such a family? To take the child out of school, or to do without a meal?" Too often, though, farm owners take advantage of struggling families. "Children become a very good source of labor Source of Labor was a rap band loosely associated with the female rap act Beyond Reality, both of which performed at the all day Rap Festival (featuring 30 or more of the top regional rap/hip-hop acts of that time). because they are cheap and can work long hours," says Wangari Maathai Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai born April 1, 1940 in Ihithe village, Tetu division, Nyeri District of Kenya is an environmental and political activist. In 2004 she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy , founder of the Green Belt Movement The Green Belt Movement is a grassroots non-governmental organization based in Kenya that takes an holistic approach to development by focusing on environmental conservation, community development and capacity building. , an environmental group. Owners "will overwork overwork the condition produced by working a draft animal or working dog, an eventing or endurance horse too hard. See also exhaustion. them, underfeed un·der·feed tr.v. un·der·fed , un·der·feed·ing, un·der·feeds 1. To feed insufficiently. 2. To supply (an engine) with fuel from the underside. them, and overexpose o·ver·ex·pose tr.v. o·ver·ex·posed, o·ver·ex·pos·ing, o·ver·ex·pos·es 1. To expose too long or too much: Don't overexpose the children to television. 2. them to pesticides." Still, most parents view education as the only way to free their children from the poverty that has gripped families for generations. "Very many families have gone to great pains to have their children educated," says Munene. "Some have even sold their own pieces of land. Parents have had to sell everything they had, and remain with nothing, just to have their children back in school." For families like Martha's, the cost of education is simply too great. But it hasn't always been that way. Schools in Kenya Primary Schools Kisumu
While the government pays teacher salaries, parents must pay for their children's books, school supplies, exam fees, tuition fees, uniforms, and extracurricular activities. With so many parents unable to pay, school enrollment rates have plummeted (dropped sharply) over the last two decades--from nearly 90 percent to less than 50 percent in some regions. The AIDS epidemic (outbreak) has also reduced enrollment. The deadly disease has left roughly one million children without parents. Many of these orphans have quit school to support their younger siblings. The Danger of Pesticides Kenya's farmland has been green and lush for centuries. But neglect, erosion, and pesticides (harmful chemicals) have devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. many fields. There is no drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. for children working in the fields, other than what they collect from irrigation irrigation, in agriculture, artificial watering of the land. Although used chiefly in regions with annual rainfall of less than 20 in. (51 cm), it is also used in wetter areas to grow certain crops, e.g., rice. ditches. That water contains pesticides. Benta Adera is all too familiar with the toxic (poisonous) chemicals that are sprayed on crops to beep bugs away. On Saturdays, when she is not in school, Benta reports to the coffee fields by 7 a.m. She earns less than a dollar for 10 ours of work. "It's not good," says Benta, a at fifth-grader at the Kia-ora Primary School, which is about an hour outside of Nairobi, Kenya's capital. "Your hands [hurt from] the chemicals that are applied. They also burn your face. It's as if hot water has been poured on your face." Pesticides are not the only hazard (danger) for coffee pickers. Snake bites, back strain, and other injuries go with the job. "Eyes get poked, legs get cut, arms get scraped," says filmmaker Len Morris. "There is no medical care. There are no doctors. If a child is injured, he or she is left to suffer." A Helping Hand Today, humanitarian organizations are teaming up with teachers, students, and parents to raise money for Kenya's schools. An elementary school elementary school: see school. in the Thika District Thika District is an administrative district in the Central Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Thika. The district is adjacent to the northeastern border of Nairobi. The district has a population of 645.713 [1]. harvests honey, beans, and corn, which it sells to local growers and villagers. The proceeds will pay for the education of 40 students. Similarly, the Ngegu Primary School in the Kiambu District has grown napier grass Napier grass Pennisetum purpureum. Called also elephant grass. , which local farmers use to feed their cows. Sales from the grass have helped pay for students' uniforms and books. Thanks to income-generating projects such as these, children like Benta can attend school. "I love geography, science, and math," says the 12-year-old. "I've never missed school. After you get educated, you get a good job instead of picking coffee." Long after Benta has returned home from school, Martha is still sorting through coffee beans. When her workday finally ends, she leaves with just 60 shillings--less than a dollar. She spends 10 shillings on a piece of sugarcane and a doughnut. The rest she will give to her mother. Martha hopes to leave the coffee fields for good someday and return to school. But for now, she must work. "I stopped going to school because of money," she says. "I want to go back to school. I'd like to be a nurse." RELATED ARTICLE: WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP * Encourage your parents to buy organic or "Fair Trade Certified" coffee. * Write to the World Bank or International Monetary Fund and urge them to forgive Kenya's debt. * Contact the International Labor Rights Fund The International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) is a nonprofit advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC that describes itself as "an advocate for and with the working poor around the world". ILRF was founded in 1986. (www.laborrights.org) for more information about Kenya's schools. Your Turn THINK ABOUT IT If you met a child who worked in Kenya's coffee fields, what questions would you ask him or her? KENYA Kenya is located in East Africa, on the equator. A British colony from 1895 to 1963, the country is famous for its wild animals WILD ANIMALS. Animals in a state of nature; animals ferae naturae. Vide Animals; Ferae naturae. that draw many tourists. Kenya has three main geographical areas: the coast, with its sandy beaches; the bush, dry scrub land that covers most of the country; and the highlands in the southwest, where most people live and crops are grown. FACTS TO KNOW AREA: 224,081 square miles, the size of Arizona and Nevada combined. POPULATION: 31,100,000; 20% urban; 80% rural. GOVERNMENT: Dominant party; Daniel arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi (born September 2, 1924) was the President of Kenya from 1978 until 2002. Daniel Arap Moi is popularly known to Kenyans as 'Nyayo', a Swahili word for 'footsteps'. has been President since 1978. ECONOMY: A developing economy based on agriculture. Coffee and tea are the main crops. Tourism is the next-largest industry. Kenya has few mineral resources. PER CAPITA [Latin, By the heads or polls.] A term used in the Descent and Distribution of the estate of one who dies without a will. It means to share and share alike according to the number of individuals. GDP GDP (guanosine diphosphate): see guanine. : $1,500. RELIGIONS: Christianity, 65%; traditional African religions, 25%; Islam, 5%; other, 5%. LANGUAGES: English, Swahili (both official), local languages. LITERACY: Males, 86%; females, 70%. LIFE EXPECTANCY Life Expectancy 1. The age until which a person is expected to live. 2. The remaining number of years an individual is expected to live, based on IRS issued life expectancy tables. : Males, 47 years; females, 49 years. QUESTIONS 1. What is the capital of Kenya?__________ 2. What country borders Kenya in the south?__________ 3. Which part of Kenya has the highest elevation: the northeast, southeast, southwest, or northwest?__________ 4. Which of these cities has the highest elevation: Mombasa, Meru, or Eldoret?__________ 5. Desert is found in what part of Kenya?__________ 6. How far is Nairobi from Lamu (to the nearest 100 miles)?__________ 7. Which city is closest to 0[degrees], 40[degrees]E?__________ 8. What is the elevation of Mount Kenya?__________ 9. What river is a tributary of the Galana?__________ 10. What is the approximate latitude and longitude latitude and longitude Coordinate system by which the position or location of any place on the Earth's surface can be determined and described. Latitude is a measurement of location north or south of the Equator. of Kisumu?__________ OBJECTIVES Students should understand: * Millions of children in Kenya cannot afford to go to school and instead must work to help their families survive. TEACHING STRATEGY Ask students to imagine that today is their last day of school and for the rest of their lives they will have to work. How would this make them feel? Now tell students that 4 million children in Kenya do backbreaking back·break·ing adj. Demanding great exertion; arduous and exhausting. back  break work every day to help support their families. What kind of future do these kids face? BACKGROUND Agriculture accounts for nearly one third of Kenya's gross domestic product. Many children work to produce coffee, tea, flowers, sugar, and cotton, as well as other crops. Child health advocates say rebuilding Kenya's infrastructure and reforming its education system are the best ways to help children in Kenya find better futures. But these are difficult tasks that must be shared by the Kenyan government and the international community. THINKING SKILLS COMPREHENSION: Why have school enrollment rates fallen to 50 percent in some areas of Kenya? (Many families cannot afford the cost of attending school, and many children must also work to help their families survive.) MAKING CONNECTIONS: How are schools affected by the AIDS epidemic in Kenya? (AIDS has left millions of children orphaned, and many of these kids have been forced to drop out of school to care for their siblings.) ACTIVITY A GLOBAL PROBLEM: About 120 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 work full-time around the world, many in dangerous conditions. Ask your students to use the Internet and the library to research how this problem affects the lives of young people in various countries. Have your students present their findings to the class. STANDARDS SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8 * Global connections: How poverty and other issues force many children in Kenya to drop out of school and work for a living. * People, places, and environment: How the dangerous conditions on many farms harm the lives and futures of Kenyan children. RESOURCES * Bartoletti, Susan Campbell, Kids on Strike! (Houghton Mifflin, 1999). Grades 6-8. * McNair, Sylvia, Kenya (Scholastic, 2001). Grades 5-8. WEB SITES * International Labor Rights Fund www.laborrights.org * Stolen Childhoods www.stolenchildhoods.com Answers 1. Nairobi 2. Tanzania 3. Southwest 4. Eldoret 5. North (or north central) 6. 300 miles 7. Garissa 8. 17,058 feet 9. Athi River 10. 0[degrees] latitude, 35[degrees] longitude |
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