Kenya

In Kenya, Using Tech To Put An ‘Invisible’ Slum On The Map

A billion people worldwide live in slums, largely invisible to city services and governments — but not to satellites.

Seth Dixon‘s insight:

Most slums are systematically ignored by politicians and public utilities; squatter settlements are not built legally and they are treated as though they did not exist. Mapping these communities makes them visible, literally putting them on the map can be an important step to legitimize the needs and requests of these poor residents and grant them greater access to public, municipal resources.

Tags: mapping, GPS, podcast, GIS, poverty, squatter settlements, development, Africa, Kenya.

See on www.npr.org

July 22, 2013 0

Why these Somali refugees do not want to leave Kenya

“For millions of refugees across Africa life is a daily struggle. Many dream of one day returning to their homeland while others have spent decades building a new life. On World Refugee Day, BBC Focus on Africa’s Anne Soy visits a Somali family in Nairobi, Kenya, who cannot imagine returning to their roots.”

Seth Dixon‘s insight:

Questions to Ponder: Is it the duty of a refugee to return to their home country as soon as it safe? If you were a refugee, what geographic factors (economic, cultural, political, environmental) would shape you decisions to stay or return?

Tags: refugees, migration, Somalia, Africa,

See on www.bbc.co.uk

July 1, 2013 0

UN projects Kenya to grow older and healthier

The UN projects Kenya to grow older and healthier
Summary:

The number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births currently totals 51.6, and is expected to drop sharply to 12.1 by the end of the century.
The country will also grow steadily older, with the current median age of 18 expected to more than double — to 37 years of age — by 2100.
A Kenyan born this year can expect to live for 61.6 years.
The nation’s population will reach 160 million by the start of the next century, according to the new outlook.

Seth Dixon‘s insight:

Tags: population, demographics, models, Africa, Kenya.

See on www.nation.co.ke

June 16, 2013 0

A Poacher’s Redemption

Jeffrey Gettleman, The Times’s Nairobi bureau chief, reports on how Kenya’s wildlife conservation corps is learning from a reformed poacher how to counter the growing threat to elephants.

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

In Somalia, former pirates are helping to patrol the coasts to prevent piracy. This idea of reforming and recruiting past criminals is also seen in Kenya as former poachers are trying to protect elephants that are essential to the local ecology as well as the tourism-driven economy. In addition to the attached video is this article which expands on these issues.

Tags: biogeography, tourism, Africa, consumption, resources, ecology, Kenya.

See on www.nytimes.com

January 1, 2013 0