In 2008, Kenya introduced their Vision 2030 plan, which aims to“transform Kenya into a ‘newly-industrializing, middle income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens in a clean and secure environment.’” The plan consists of three pillars: economic, social, and political.

Achievement in the economic pillar would consist of growth in six sectors: Tourism, Agriculture & Livestock, Wholesale & Retail, Trade, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Business Process Offshoring, and IT-Enabled Services; which combined, would raise the country’s GDP growth rate 10% over a number of years. 

The social pillar aims to improve the overall quality of life for all Kenyans by achieving development in eight social sectors: Education & Training, Health, Water & Sanitation, Environment, Housing & Urbanization, Gender, Youth, and Sports & Culture. These sectors also include developments in disability accessibility and special provisions for previously marginalized communities. 

Lastly, the political pillar aims to create a better democratic and more equal political system for the Kenyan people. This was originally meant to be achieved through the introduction of a new constitution, which was put in place in 2010 by Kenya’s President Kibaki. The new constitution put in place a better system of checks and balances, as well as more protections for all citizens, especially those of minority and previously marginalized groups.

So far, Vision 2030 has aided Kenya in the growth of its GDP and modernizing the country’s infrastructure and facilities. Progress continues to be made and it is still unclear if all of Kenya’s goals will be able to be achieved by 2030, but they have made much progress thus far that has served the Kenyan people well.

In anthropologist Wade Davis’ TED Talk, he discusses the importance of preserving endangered cultures. He stresses that losing cultures leads to loss of language and entire ways of thinking, which is detrimental to biodiversity and diversity amongst the human race. Davis also begs the audience to consider each culture acting as a singular puzzle piece in our world: losing puzzle pieces creates gaps in our puzzle.

When considering Davis’ belief that indigenous cultures teach the rest of the world how to keep harmony in our environment, the concept of losing language, creativity, knowledge, and wisdom is destructive to our globe. I agree with his beliefs and consider the Drokpas of Ladakh, India (Around the World Consultancy), an indigenous group whose population is dwindling yearly. When researching their group, I learned they do not marry outside the community and tend to wife-swap, which I found incredibly fascinating.

In the Dominican Republic of Congo, which began as a colony of Belgium, they have been struggling to find independence and have created colonization efforts. They have many small indigenous groups, including the Mbuti, Baka, and Batwa. “They live in nomadic and semi-nomadic groups throughout the country’s provinces. Indigenous Peoples’ lives are closely linked to the forest and its resources: they practice hunting, gathering, and fishing and treat their illnesses using their pharmacopeia and medicinal plants. The forest lies at the heart of their culture and living environment” (IWGIA). They continue to try and fight for their independence, yet also live a solo lifestyle.

On the other hand, “In terms of species diversity, the DRC is the most biologically diverse country in Africa and one of the most important biodiversity centers in the world, encompassing more than half of Africa’s tropical forest [2]. Globally, the country ranks fifth for animal and plant diversity” (Biodiversity in the DRC). With the variance in cultures and animal and plant diversity, there is a beautiful future, with hopes for the future.

Ethiopia has diverse and rich land throughout the country, however, humans are interfering with the environment’s natural course and the government is trying to take action. We see this happening in Goba, Ethiopia. UNESCO plans to relocate 20,000 people living in Bale Mountains National Park to promote environmental growth. Nevertheless, another moral dilemma arises about the displacement of people and villages. The village is known as Rita, a lush forest that has been used for farming for many decades. In various interviews of the residents, they mention how they are not refugees and have been legally recognized. Rita Village benefits the community economically and socially, including their culture. “’Our spirit is connected to nature; I can’t stay a day out of this place.’” Some individuals are being compensated for the relocation plan with money, but that doesn’t alleviate their minds about leaving their homes.

While the relocation causes stress and inconvenience for the villagers, the national park is critically important for many species that are currently endangered. Expansion and encroachment reduce natural resources and water, including an increase in invasive species. The balance between maintaining community and biodiversity is a challenge; it seems as if both outcomes result in a negative for either. The villagers of Rita believe that the environment provides for them and they provide for the environment, like any other symbiotic relationship. The relocation plan hasn’t started for the Rita villagers and park officials mention that resettlement will take a few years. 

Hello viewers, readers, and consumers of media on countries in East and Southern Africa. We will do a deep dive into the history, current events, and news to continue educating our viewers! We have all enjoyed learning more about our countries hope this can extend to our readers.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has many treaties set up, including “Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child” and “Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” (UN Treaties) . The first entails prevention measures for banning recruitment of children under 18. This is also the same in the United States of America. The second entails the promotion of rights for people with disabilities. These are two of the most common and replicated treaties across the world, providing basic needs for humans. Continuing on with treaties and trade agreements, The DRC has bilateral trade agreements with over 50 countries and belongs to several international and regional trade organizations, including: the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA),the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (ECGLC), the Organization for harmonization of the business law in Africa (OHADA), and the East African Community (EAC)” (Trade Agreements). As seen in this large list and the 50 countries in which the DRC has trade agreements, there is an apparent popularity and extension to most of the world. As mentioned in the previous blog post, the Eastern and whole Democratic Republic of Congo has many important materials and natural goods that create profit for many different countries. The DRC is still a developing country and these treaties and trade agreements help support the economy. 

Ethiopians and refugees that rely on food aid from the United Nations World Food Program have been struggling for approximately five months, due to the pause of resources being sent to Ethiopia. This halt occurred because of the ongoing theft of rations that were being sold to markets and commercial mills. Ever since the civil war that lasted two years and relentless drought, more than 20 million people have needed food assistance in Ethiopia (1). There was a seven-year support package that was supposed to be sent in 2021, however, conflict with Tigray and thievery deferred it. Without aid, it is causing devastating consequences; many civilians are dying of hunger. As an attempt to reduce theft, the World Food Program will distribute wheat to 100,000 people in specific districts in northern Ethiopia to ensure control for delivering food aid (2). The responsibility of disbursing food aid now belongs to humanitarian groups, rather than the Ethiopian government, which was linked to the schemes of stealing. The aid package is planned to support the development of Ethiopia by promoting democratic governing and reconstruction/assistance for citizens. The hope is that this will help to alleviate the suffering of the Ethiopian people and create a brighter future for the country.

US food assistance includes the distribution of wheat to Ethiopia.

The DRC has been in conflict since the 1990s, including debates on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and media. People across their country faced arrest, possibly being beaten, and sometimes prosecuted. Journalists who criticized government policies faced threats and harassment and feared for their lives. Human rights defenders faced intimation, arrest without cause, and threats. Since 1996, conflict in the Eastern DRC has led to almost six million deaths. Due to the excessive amount of natural resources and sought-after materials, there has been a constant debate as to whom the resources belong. “DRC is home to some of the world’s largest reserves of the metals and rare earth minerals that are used in the production of advanced electronics” (GCT). Armed groups within the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have become more incentivized to join the Congolese conflict. Due to the weak government in the DRC and the invasion of criminal armed groups, Congolese civilians have experienced widespread rape and sexual violence, extreme poverty, and human rights violations. There is a constant fear among those who call the DRC their home and live in a battleground. M23, abbreviated from the March 23 Movement, also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army, claims to try and defend the interests of minorities in the EDRC, including the Congolese Tutsi and Kinyarwanda. However, their rebels resurfaced and attacked Congolese troops, creating more civil unrest. “In 2023, DRC is home to an estimated 5.7 million internally displaced people in urgent need of more than 2 billion dollars of medical and other aid” (GCT).

Simply put, the quality of life is detrimental to health, human rights, and freedom of speech. The beautiful country’s inhabitants fear for their lives every day. The average age of death in the DRC is 59 years old while the United States of America’s is 77 years old. This is not only caused by civil unrest in the streets, but also the stress and fear in the DRC. 

Council on Foreign Relations. (n.d.). Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo | global conflict tracker. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violence-democratic-republic-congo 

Hi, I’m Shreeya! I’m a first-year psychology student from West Linn, Oregon. I enjoy swimming, bird-watching, playing piano, and music in general. I’m interested in learning about various cultures all over the world and hopefully sharing my own culture from Nepal with everyone! With the exposure I have to some international countries, I hope to learn and experience more with those related topics.

Hey! Welcome to our blog. My name is Lily Fehrenbacher and I am from Corvallis, Oregon. I am a Human Physiology major and a Spanish minor, with plans to become a nurse. I love to travel, camp, hike, and be outdoors. Through this Academic Residential Community, I hope to make connections with like-minded people, learn about global issues, makeplans to study abroad, and explore new ideas surrounding culture and language.