“There are many people with great talents that only lack information. If you don’t know where to take your work to sell or how to approach galleries or individual clients – how to relate to them – that becomes the biggest challenge and an obstacle for many artists and people in all fields.” The Borgen Project interviewed Onesmus Okamar, a self-taught Kenyan artist, discussing his work with the Kobo Trust, art as a tool for alleviating poverty and education in Kenya.
About Onesmus Okamar
Born in Teso-North, Busia County, Kenya, Okamar is an award-winning visual artist based in the country’s capital city, Nairobi. With no formal training, Okamar began pursuing art at age 17. Two years later, in 2014, Okamar received a commendation for the Mask Prize, an award celebrating the creativity and innovation of African youth.
While discussing art and education in Kenya, Onesmus Okamar states that one of the biggest problems that Kenyans face is an insufficiency of information and access to resources, explaining that a particular struggle for creatives is to find “a physical space where they can work and where they can invite clients to get to know their art.”
The Kobo Trust
According to Onesmus Okamar, the Kobo Trust, a charitable foundation and nonprofit founded by Kobo Safaris Ltd. in 2011, works both with artists and children from disadvantaged backgrounds, seeking to create a solution to this problem. The Kobo Trust provides a creative space for artists to use while educating, rehabilitating and sheltering children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Okamar describes that many “kids end up in the streets because they don’t have anything to do when they finish school.” However, the Kobo Trust sponsors children through their primary, secondary and tertiary levels and “empowers them by getting them involved in businesses of their own.”
Having worked as an artist for the Kobo Trust since 2017, Okamar explains that the foundation receives 20% of any sale from its exhibitions while the remainder profits the artist directly. Through a circular scheme, the 20% returned to the Kobo Trust funds further investment in the foundation’s children, projects and partnerships.
Art as a Tool
The Kobo Trust is dedicated to sponsoring both children and artists. However, its primary goal is to use arts and culture as a tool for alleviating poverty. The foundation achieves this by using art as a tool for healing traumas while empowering, transforming and building resilience.
When asked how art can practically translate to alleviate poverty, Okamar says, “First and foremost, art must be used as a tool to find an individual’s inner voice, to help expand creativity and freedom of expression.”
The Kobo Trust encourages the freedom of expression as a means to address issues and traumas associated with poverty. It provides an outlet for children and young people to respond positively to their circumstances through art. In doing so, individuals learn that art can be used to overcome a wide variety of challenges and are edified about art as a tool to amplify wider discussions of social, economic and political concerns.
In a brief given by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) discussing the role of art in alleviating poverty, Dr. Kessous, UNESCO artist and ambassador for peace, described it as this: “The impact of art is underestimated today. We have a limited view of an artist as someone who produces beauty devoid of social conscience. In response, many artists decide to combine activism and art to become ‘artivists’ – offering their talents to alleviate suffering, promote peace and prevent war.”
Education in Kenya
Since 2005, Kenya’s economy has steadily grown, transcending from a low-income to a middle-income country. However, disparities in wealth distribution and access to education and health care have created a large divide between Kenya’s rich and poor. Okamar explains that “at times, even the people who may have finances around them lack the information that can help them in their careers.”
When discussing whether art is supported in the Kenyan education system, Okamar laughs, saying that “most parents in Kenya still want their children to become lawyers and doctors.” While this remains prevalent in many countries worldwide, a 2020 study showed that only 19% of Kenyans enrolled in tertiary education, indicating 23% less than the global average.
According to Onesmus Okamar, the latest curriculum does include art but doesn’t address it to be beneficial for development beyond the educational level. He states that “they [students] don’t know anything about the finance part of it. They’re not taught about marketing or using it as an income.” He likens the current system to “giving someone the equipment without giving them the manual on how to use it.”
Alleviating Poverty
Increasing education and access to resources has been proven as a way of reducing poverty. However, when combined with art, it creates a positive medium to address issues synonymous with poverty while increasing awareness and visibility of this suffering. By engaging people in the arts, disadvantaged individuals are encouraged to find their voices and positively contribute to the world around them. Art transforms mentalities, making it a powerful tool in the battle against poverty reduction.
– Zoe Winterfeldt
Photo: Courtesy of Onesmus Okamar
Fotokids: Helping Children in Guatemala
History of the Organization
While conflict-stricken areas undoubtedly give rise to vulnerable populations, children become the most highly affected by this vulnerability, demanding special attention to protect them from spiraling into poverty. In 1991, Fotokids began with only six children from the garbage dump in Guatemala City. Intending to break the cycle of poverty through training children in visual arts and technology, the organization expanded in 1996 to include communities outside of Guatemala, such as the areas covered under the “Children in Conflict” program. Over the years, Fotokids grew and evolved even further, providing services to children from poverty and violence-stricken areas around the world.
The Program
The organization has focused on developing monetizable and employable skills among the children. They teach them to use photography, writing and computers to better their lives and bring them to par with the rest of the globalized and digitalized world. The goal is to help “small groups of Central American young people from the poorest of barrios.”
Fotokids is an integrated program that mandates enrolled children to attend schools, offering full or partial scholarships to support their education while simultaneously learning essential skills provided by the program. Upon entering, each student is given a camera and taught the basic skills of black-and-white photography, which then evolves and develops into teaching them newer and more complicated skills. Throughout this process, the program relies highly on long-term teacher-student relationships as a means of learning and guidance.
Impact
Since its inception, the organization has helped more than a thousand children escape their state of poverty and desolation, impacting the lives of more than 500 families. Students from the program have gone on to give back to the organization, assuming roles in program management. About 14 of the program graduates have become a part of the Fotokids’ Guatemalan staff, playing a pivotal role in extending assistance to children in Guatemala.
Exhibitions and Galleries
The work done by the organization and its children has been exhibited in various museums and galleries over the years: Colombia, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, among others. Additionally, due to its work and impact, Fotokids has also been featured in numerous lectures held at Harvard University, Bowdoin College and Boston University in the U.S. Further, it has been presented at international conferences in countries like Brazil, Guatemala, Japan, Spain and the U.S.
With its wide-ranging and highly positive impact, Fotokids continues its program today, still working to provide an alternate life to children from six different communities in Guatemala and the farms of the Central Valley of California.
– Manasvi Kadian
Photo: Flickr
Ripple Effect: The Organization Empowering Ugandans With Cows
Ripple Effect: The Original Mission
Initiatives like “The Ripple Effect” have been implemented in Uganda to aid farmers and improve their quality of life. These initiatives provide families with cattle, such as cows, offering benefits like milk, meat, hides, manure for fertilizer and the potential for profit through the sale of the animals, effectively utilizing animals as assets. In Uganda, there are approximately 14.2 million cattle, along with millions of other farming animals, thanks to the efforts of numerous organizations.
The mission of “The Ripple Effect” was originally to address malnutrition among children in Uganda, as in 2018, malnutrition was affecting 24 million children in East Africa. Beyond providing food and drink to the animals, the initiative ensures financial security for farmers by facilitating the buying and selling of the gifted cattle. More specifically, smaller animals play a role in helping women in Uganda manage their savings and invest, enabling them to actively participate in their local community and contribute to its overall health and prosperity.
Recycling Back Into the Community
Through organizations like Ripple Effect (previously Send a Cow), cows are provided to local farmers who, in turn, contribute to their community. The initiative enables individuals to raise and nurture cows as assets and through breeding, they can then pass on cows to other farmers. This method sustains the rural economy, extending its impact beyond a single farming family. For every family assisted by the charity, three additional families benefit. As of 2020, “The Ripple Effect” had helped more than two million people across the continent, not limited to Uganda, through their agricultural support.
The Challenges and Vision for the Future
While the future appears promising for Ugandan farmers, challenges persist, particularly due to limited assistance and the remoteness of many communities. These rural areas are challenging to reach and the necessary resources may not be readily available to help them achieve their goals. Moreover, recent issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts within the nation have further affected efforts to reach individuals in rural communities.
Despite the difficulties, the Ripple Effect is committed to helping the communities in need. The “Send a Cow” mission has been noticed and replicated by other organizations, such as the Livestock Project, with a mission to help those in need. The cows have pulled people out of hunger, poverty and malnutrition, which is a rife issue across Africa and the missions see no sign of stopping.
– Lily Thornhill
Photo: Pexels
The Fourth Revolution – Cambodia’s Digital Innovation
History and Economic Situation
With a tumultuous history of civil war, political unrest and economic instability under the regime of the Khmer Rouge, the Kingdom of Cambodia has tackled the aftermath of genocide with years of widespread poverty and injustice. Within the last two decades, however, Cambodia has developed exponentially, sustaining an annual economic increase of approximately 8% between 1998 and 2019, making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
While this indicates Cambodia’s desire to leave history in the past, radical socioeconomic transformation is being implemented through the government’s Pentagonal Strategy to achieve the U.N. SDGs by 2030 and high-income status by 2050.
Cambodia’s Pentagonal Strategy
For the first time in two decades, Cambodia’s economy contracted at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In response, the nation has pledged to diversify its economy through the implementation of phase one of its Pentagonal Strategy. This plan focuses on growth, employment, equity, efficiency and sustainability. A cornerstone of Cambodia’s Pentagonal Strategy, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is to roll out initiatives at the local level. These initiatives aim to encourage Cambodia’s digital innovation and entrepreneurship, modernizing the rural landscape and paving the way for a more resilient and diverse economic future.
Cambodia has made remarkable strides in reducing poverty, cutting the rate of those living in multidimensional poverty from 36.7% to 16.6% in recent years. Despite these achievements, a significant gap persists between rural and urban areas, positioning Cambodia at the brink of transitioning from least developed country (LDC) status. In the country’s poorest regions, many people still depend on subsistence farming for their livelihoods, with agriculture comprising 39% of total employment in 2021. This situation underscores the ongoing challenges and the critical need for targeted development strategies to bridge the urban-rural divide and foster sustainable economic growth across all communities.
This government incentive has created significant opportunities for technological development, positioning Cambodia’s startup and tech ecosystems as some of the fastest-growing markets. When startup enterprises and technological advancements receive adequate resources, they can profoundly impact rural communities. Here are two examples of initiatives that leverage digital technology to fuel Cambodia’s fourth industrial revolution, demonstrating the potential for innovation to drive sustainable development and economic growth in even the most remote areas.
Tap Effect
According to a report given by the World Bank in 2022, only 29% of Cambodia’s population has access to safely managed drinking water. Tap Effect is a Cambodian-based tech startup and social enterprise providing clean and affordable water to underserved rural and semi-rural communities. Tap Effect’s mission is to bridge systemic barriers often associated with clean water such as expensive set-up and maintenance costs by overseeing the entire value chain from installation to remote management. Their ethos views water supply as an ongoing process rather than a one-off installation, with their pioneering model combining technology, engineering and finance.
One water system can sustain up to 10,000 households while ‘Internet of Things’ technology allows for remote monitoring. Tap Effect’s first project, completed in 2020, covered the communes of Kouk Ballangk and Sambuor and provided clean and affordable water access to 19 villages and more than 14,000 people, including 12 schools and two health care facilities.
The BlocRice Project
The BlockChain project BlocRice was pioneered in Cambodia by Oxfam in partnership with Amru Rice, the largest producer and exporter of organic rice in Cambodia. The BlocRice project’s vision aims to bring greater representation to organic rice farmers in Preah Vihear Province who experience a living income gap of 31%. BlocRice introduces an app that enhances the connection between rural farmers and international exporters, offering a platform for farmers to access information about price fluctuations and the international value chain.
Historically, many farmers have lacked the knowledge and resources to negotiate effectively with middlemen, often resulting in underpayment and continued poverty. By implementing blockchain strategies, the BlocRice project aims to ensure transparency and traceability throughout the production chain. It provides digital access to contracts and payments, helping to prevent the exploitation of farmers in rural areas and promoting fair trade practices. This initiative represents a significant step toward empowering Cambodia’s agricultural sector in the global marketplace.
A Digital Future
Cambodia’s march toward a digital future sheds light on its dynamic socioeconomic and political landscape. Concentrating on bridging the rural-urban divide, the successful implementation of the Pentagonal Strategy will bolster Cambodia’s economy through collaboration with stakeholders, private and public investors. Additionally, closing the technology gap empowers the most vulnerable—those living in poverty—by leveraging digital solutions to foster a more equitable and sustainable future. This approach not only strengthens the national economy but also ensures that technological advancements benefit all segments of society, paving the way for inclusive growth and development.
– Zoe Winterfeldt
Photo: Flickr
8 Key Ways to Strengthen Global Supply Chains
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has committed greater resources to ensure the protection of these crucial supply chains. Hence, working with governments to ensure that all the crucial stages of product selection, strategic procurement and the contracting of logistics services meet as few hindrances as possible.
In addition, UNICEF outlines that post the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of equitable and resilient supply chains is more crucial than ever to ensure access to lifesaving supplies to countries most in need of humanitarian support.
UNICEF Tackle Insecure Supply Chains
In a recent report, UNICEF outlines two key objectives to address the issue:
As a result, UNICEF has compiled data based on the knowledge of key organizations and governments to address these two objectives. These include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Alliance for Vaccines (GAVI), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Global Fund, the African Centre for Disease Control, the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as well as the private sector.
Ways to Strengthen Global Supply Chains
Furthermore, after compiling the experiences and knowledge of its partners, UNICEF has outlined eight key ways to strengthen global supply chains. Also, these recommendations aim to enhance access to essential, high-quality and life-saving services and supplies in the future.
The following are the eight key ways to strengthen global supply chains:
Global Supply Chain Improvements
Therefore, UNICEF’s investment and collaboration with the mentioned partners and governments have resulted in the implementation of supply chains through projects such as:
These initiatives and projects have helped raise $7.2 billion in supplies and services, enhancing the provision for supply storage and the transportation of vaccines, medicines and other critical supplies. In addition, they have also resulted in increased procurement of Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a crucial item for treating severe wasting in children. Through these efforts, UNICEF met two-thirds of the global demand for RUTF production.
Progress and Promise
Despite facing significant challenges, the strides made in improving child survival rates in developing countries offer a beacon of hope. UNICEF’s call to action for strengthening global supply chains highlights a path forward to addressing critical needs, from vaccine accessibility to combating severe wasting and enhancing sanitation in schools. Furthermore, with concerted efforts and continued focus, the gap in essential services can be bridged, promising a healthier, more secure future for millions of children around the world.
– Domenico Palermo
Photo: Flickr
Higher Education in Bhutan
Prioritizing Education
Bhutan recently established democracy, with the country becoming a constitutional monarchy in 2008, but for the past 100 years, Bhutan has prioritized education. While secular, it still effectively incorporates traditional values, its unique heritage and culture into it. Its constitution also reinforces this, with article 9 ensuring “spiritual and emotional development are equally as important as the promotion of material consumption and modern physical comforts…and that the ultimate purpose of the government is to promote the happiness of its people,” according to a 2016 article. It certainly is the happiest, with its king, his majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuk having coined the term Gross National Happiness (GNH). Bhutan strikes a balance between modernization and maintaining its identity.
While formal education may have originally started in the 1950s, before this the monasteries delivered education on a tiny scale, with only 2,500 children enrolled in primary school. There are now two universities, both providing the only college and post-college education within the country. In 2003, The Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) opened and was The first establishment. In 2008, a separate school split off into its separate institution, the Gedu College of Business Studies. This has meant that there are now more than 10000 students in various programs.
Environmental Education
Environmental education is also part of higher education in Bhutan. The Royal Thimphu College offers Environmental Management (BSc) and there is also the Russell E. Train Education for Nature (EFN) scholarship, provided by the World Wide Fund (WWF) Bhutan’s Youth and Education Program, to help support future conservationists. From 2016-2018, 18 students benefited from the scholarship.
The WWF also offers The Education for Sustained Development (ESD) project, which promotes knowledge and development of fundamental skills necessary for young people to help create a sustainable future, through environmental conservation. There is also the chance to become a Living Planet ambassador, for those who demonstrate a passion for environmental action, with the first one appointed in November 2020.
Foreign Aid and Governmental Funds
The Government of Bhutan funds both universities, which gets part of its funding from grants from the Government of India. Not only does India help fund Bhutan education, but Indian teachers also serve in remote Bhutanese villages, to bring education to even the most distant parts. In fact, in 2019 Jai Bir Rai, the education minister in India, organized a special ceremony to honor 80 teachers and celebrate diplomatic relations between Bhutan and India.
Foreign aid also contributes to this funding. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has dedicated a total of $1.2 billion to Bhutan, as of 2024. The EU also allocated €31 million from 2021 until 2024, which renews this year and dedicates €9.3 million of this funding to strengthening local government and digitalization in education.
Bhutan spends a lot of its own money too. For example, from 2015 to 2020, Bhutan’s GDP increased by 33.4% whereas the public education budget increased by 58% within the same period, demonstrating that Bhutan reinvests profit from growth.
However, 12.4% of the population lived below the national poverty line in 2022, and with the U.N. stating that globally, 420 million could escape poverty by finishing secondary education, this level of investment can make a real difference.
Prioritizing Universal Values
Higher education in Bhutan does not mean that the state exclusively benefits from this investment in education, the world does as well. For example, through Erasmus+, “more than 600 student exchanges between Bhutan and the EU have taken place over five years(2015-19).” From humble beginnings, Bhutan has demonstrated that a country can prioritize universal values, knowledge, happiness and the world.
– Jack Timmins
Photo: Flickr
Somalian Children: Malnutrition Amidst Poverty and Conflict
Malnutrition and Disease in Somalia
Alongside malnutrition, children in Somalia are severely affected by life-threatening diseases, often succumbing to them due to a lack of resources. A common disease among children in the nation is cholera, with the number of cases rising in recent years. The spike in cases has been a result of the lack of clean water resources, especially in rural areas.
Millions of children in Somalia do not consume enough food, leaving their bodies weakened and susceptible to disease. Additionally, the mothers of children are often undernourished themselves, having illnesses such as anemia and vitamin deficiencies. As a result of these diseases, almost half of all Somalian children do not attend school.
Natural Disasters Affecting Children
The geographical location of Somalia makes it prone to drought and flooding, depending on the time of the year. As Somalia borders the Indian Ocean, it is vulnerable to the natural elements, with several of its largest cities situated along the coastline.
Flooding is a recurring issue in the country, accounting for 45% of all natural occurrences since 1980. This has led to the outbreak of waterborne diseases, such as cholera and malaria, due to the ideal breeding grounds flooding produces. Furthermore, droughts have been a major point of concern as in 2019, affecting upwards of 2.3 million Somalians, furthering the issue of the nation’s malnourishment.
Displacement Due to Conflict
Conflict in the nation has been ongoing for many years, with civil disputes resulting in high levels of displacement across the country. Many Somalians have been forced to leave their homes to find refuge in other areas, often neighboring countries.
Due to this conflict, 2.6 million Somalians have been displaced internally, with 30% of those displaced being under the age of 11. With countless children orphaned, abandoned or separated from their families, it has left them vulnerable to disease.
Necessary Aid
It is estimated that 5.1 million children in Somalia need urgent humanitarian aid. There is a necessity for nationwide food banks and health centers for children in Somalia. They are not only faced with disease and malnutrition but also risks due to conflict and natural disasters, all contributing to the poverty rates.
How Help Is Reaching the Children of Somalia
Many organizations are working with the Government of Somalia to increase funding and support the population, especially children. In 2020, Somalia received $2 billion in official development assistance to help those in need. Through global financial assistance, Somalian children are receiving help in the form of access to food, water and health resources.
– Lily Thornhill
Photo: Unsplash
Kilimo Salama: Microfinance To Lift Kenyan Farmers Out of Poverty
Insurance for Crop Loss Due To Extreme Weather
The soil in several African countries requires sustainable farming practices to prevent degradation. However, human activities, primarily mining, have resulted in significant nutrient depletion in African soils. This depletion, intensifying over the past decade, has further decreased the already low harvest output. Another key characteristic of smallholder farming in Africa is its heavy reliance on rainfed agriculture.
The combination of soil nutrient depletion and the unreliable weather patterns countries like Kenya have been experiencing in the past decades, ranging from drought to extreme rain, makes harvests unpredictable. This puts smallholder farmers at risk of falling into extreme poverty and not being able to afford to harvest next season.
Kilimo Salama
Kilimo Salama, which means safe farming in Swahili, was created based on the learning of a pilot in Kenya’s Laikipia district. The Laikipia district’s largest economic sector is agriculture at an estimated 35.5 billion Kenyan Shillings or $217.791.410. The region experiences dry and wet seasons, causing challenges such as droughts and excessive rainfall for small-scale farmers. In the first pilot in Kenya, hundreds of maize farmers were insured against drought in 2009. Following the drought that season, the initiative compensated all farmers between a 30% to 80% payout, depending on the extent of the drought.
Kilimo Salama holds significant importance for smallholder farmers, recognizing that the effects of a bad harvest season do not end in that season, affecting subsequent seasons. By providing insurance coverage, Kilimo Salama enables smallholder farmers to continue earning money, actively engage in the local and global economy and pursue cultivation in the following seasons despite setbacks caused by drought or excessive rain. This pivotal support prevents smallholder farmers in the eight countries where the program operates from plunging further into poverty. Instead, it empowers them to generate income that can be invested in adopting more efficient farming techniques or acquiring higher-yielding seeds.
Conclusion
Programs like Kilimo Salama can help tackle rural poverty. These microfinance insurance programs are highly tailored to the needs of the communities they serve, are more accessible and are designed to be affordable and easily understood.
– Sara del Carmen Navarro Galvan
Photo: Pexels
Child Marriage in South Africa
Women Leading Change
Men often dominate public discourse, making it notable when women lead the charge for change. Such was the case in South Africa in November 2023, when female philanthropists, activists and leaders convened to strategize support for adolescent girls, with a focus on eradicating child marriage.
Prominent among the attendees were Mrs. Michelle Obama and Ms. Melinda Gates. Mrs. Obama, the former First Lady of the United States (U.S.), underscored the critical role of education for young girls in breaking the cycle of child marriage and called for sustained investment in grassroots organizations and leadership. Ms. Gates advocated for a comprehensive approach that includes policy and legal reforms. She emphasized the importance of community awareness supported by government action to empower girls with choices over their futures. Both women, celebrated authors and influential figures, alongside other local dignitaries, issued a call to action against child marriage.
Benefits of Ending Child Marriage
Ending child marriage in South Africa and globally, brings a multitude of benefits that span social, economic and health dimensions. By addressing this issue, South Africa could unlock the potential for individual growth, societal advancement and economic development. Notable sources, including the United Nations (U.N.), World Bank and various NGOs, have highlighted these benefits in their research and advocacy efforts.
According to UNICEF, by delaying marriage, girls are less likely to face early pregnancy, which is associated with higher risks of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity and more likely to stay in school and complete their education. Education equips girls with the knowledge and skills necessary to support themselves, fully participate in their communities and make informed decisions about their lives and health, setting a foundation for improved health outcomes both for themselves and their future children.
Furthermore, the World Bank indicates that eliminating child marriage could significantly boost economic growth and productivity by enhancing a country’s earnings and growth potential. In fact, educated and empowered women are more likely to enter the workforce and contribute positively to the national economy.
Economic Implications
Eradicating child marriage has positive ripple effects on the economy, including a reduction in birth rates that alters a population’s age structure, thereby enhancing what is known as the ‘demographic dividend.’ This term refers to the economic growth potential when a larger portion of the population is of working age. It boosts health, productivity and the overall economy. The effect on productivity is particularly significant.
Child marriage sidelines girls, excluding them from the workforce and depriving economies of half their potential labor force, presenting a substantial obstacle to development. The World Bank estimates that countries lose on average about 1% of their economic base due to child marriage.
The Role of Girls Not Brides
Girls Not Brides is a global network dedicated to ending child marriage, focusing on girls as central to the solution. The organization collaborates with communities, local governments and faith leaders, emphasizing that only a collective effort can eliminate the outdated stigma of girls being inferior and end the practice of child marriage as a means of connecting families and kin.
This strategy aims to end the treatment of girls as currency and sees empowering them as a way out of poverty. By mobilizing young girls and improving their access to education and sexual health care, Girls Not Brides helps lift nations out of poverty.
Empowering the Future
The global fight against child marriage, led by influential women and organizations like Girls Not Brides, is carving a path toward empowerment and equality for girls in South Africa and beyond. By fostering education and legal reforms, these efforts are unlocking the vast potential for personal and economic growth, setting a precedent for future generations.
The collective drive and dedication to ending child marriage reflect a powerful commitment to reshaping society for the better, ensuring every girl has the opportunity to control her destiny and contribute fully to her community.
– Isaac Rowlands
Photo: Unsplash
Escaping Poverty: Zoe Empowers Is Helping Orphaned Youth
A Long-Term Change
A significant proportion of the African youth are unemployed; 10-12 million youth enter the workforce in Africa every year. However, only 3 million jobs are created annually, leaving vast numbers of youth unemployed.
Zoe Empowers aims to resolve this issue by prioritizing self-sufficiency for orphaned youth to enable them to escape poverty. The organization achieves this by teaching them skills for long-term success, such as lessons in accounting and investing. With minimal job opportunities, these lessons in self-sufficiency are a lifeline to orphaned and impoverished youths, allowing them to forge their path out of the poverty cycle. The charity has empowered nearly 200,000 children across the world, including Africa, with work being done in Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Liberia, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Sudan.
Success Story From Zoe Empowers
Welshman, a man from the Zoe Empowers program in Zimbabwe, finally achieved his dream of opening a bakery when he was financially supported with a small loan to purchase basic supplies such as flour and loaf pans. After a few months, the profits from his trade allowed him to send his siblings back to school. Today, his bakery is a booming business in the local community. Before Zoe Empowers, Welshman had spent years caring for his younger siblings while working jobs that paid less than $1 per day. The financial and emotional support from Zoe Empowers has allowed Welshman and his family to escape poverty, giving him new sources of income, new career prospects and a new prosperous life.
Zoe Empowers shows impoverished and orphaned children how to turn their passions and natural skills into profitable businesses and trades. The organization has undeniably opened doors of opportunity for struggling youths such as Welshman and Priya. With their success, they and their families now have a steady income that will lift them out of poverty and help rebuild the local economy, ending the cycle of poverty. Zoe Empowers offers impoverished children a long-term solution to escape poverty and empowers the local youth, establishing grassroots change for generations to come.
– Abigail Tidball
Photo: Unsplash
Onesmus Okamar on Art and Education in Kenya
About Onesmus Okamar
Born in Teso-North, Busia County, Kenya, Okamar is an award-winning visual artist based in the country’s capital city, Nairobi. With no formal training, Okamar began pursuing art at age 17. Two years later, in 2014, Okamar received a commendation for the Mask Prize, an award celebrating the creativity and innovation of African youth.
While discussing art and education in Kenya, Onesmus Okamar states that one of the biggest problems that Kenyans face is an insufficiency of information and access to resources, explaining that a particular struggle for creatives is to find “a physical space where they can work and where they can invite clients to get to know their art.”
The Kobo Trust
According to Onesmus Okamar, the Kobo Trust, a charitable foundation and nonprofit founded by Kobo Safaris Ltd. in 2011, works both with artists and children from disadvantaged backgrounds, seeking to create a solution to this problem. The Kobo Trust provides a creative space for artists to use while educating, rehabilitating and sheltering children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Okamar describes that many “kids end up in the streets because they don’t have anything to do when they finish school.” However, the Kobo Trust sponsors children through their primary, secondary and tertiary levels and “empowers them by getting them involved in businesses of their own.”
Having worked as an artist for the Kobo Trust since 2017, Okamar explains that the foundation receives 20% of any sale from its exhibitions while the remainder profits the artist directly. Through a circular scheme, the 20% returned to the Kobo Trust funds further investment in the foundation’s children, projects and partnerships.
Art as a Tool
The Kobo Trust is dedicated to sponsoring both children and artists. However, its primary goal is to use arts and culture as a tool for alleviating poverty. The foundation achieves this by using art as a tool for healing traumas while empowering, transforming and building resilience.
When asked how art can practically translate to alleviate poverty, Okamar says, “First and foremost, art must be used as a tool to find an individual’s inner voice, to help expand creativity and freedom of expression.”
The Kobo Trust encourages the freedom of expression as a means to address issues and traumas associated with poverty. It provides an outlet for children and young people to respond positively to their circumstances through art. In doing so, individuals learn that art can be used to overcome a wide variety of challenges and are edified about art as a tool to amplify wider discussions of social, economic and political concerns.
In a brief given by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) discussing the role of art in alleviating poverty, Dr. Kessous, UNESCO artist and ambassador for peace, described it as this: “The impact of art is underestimated today. We have a limited view of an artist as someone who produces beauty devoid of social conscience. In response, many artists decide to combine activism and art to become ‘artivists’ – offering their talents to alleviate suffering, promote peace and prevent war.”
Education in Kenya
Since 2005, Kenya’s economy has steadily grown, transcending from a low-income to a middle-income country. However, disparities in wealth distribution and access to education and health care have created a large divide between Kenya’s rich and poor. Okamar explains that “at times, even the people who may have finances around them lack the information that can help them in their careers.”
When discussing whether art is supported in the Kenyan education system, Okamar laughs, saying that “most parents in Kenya still want their children to become lawyers and doctors.” While this remains prevalent in many countries worldwide, a 2020 study showed that only 19% of Kenyans enrolled in tertiary education, indicating 23% less than the global average.
According to Onesmus Okamar, the latest curriculum does include art but doesn’t address it to be beneficial for development beyond the educational level. He states that “they [students] don’t know anything about the finance part of it. They’re not taught about marketing or using it as an income.” He likens the current system to “giving someone the equipment without giving them the manual on how to use it.”
Alleviating Poverty
Increasing education and access to resources has been proven as a way of reducing poverty. However, when combined with art, it creates a positive medium to address issues synonymous with poverty while increasing awareness and visibility of this suffering. By engaging people in the arts, disadvantaged individuals are encouraged to find their voices and positively contribute to the world around them. Art transforms mentalities, making it a powerful tool in the battle against poverty reduction.
– Zoe Winterfeldt
Photo: Courtesy of Onesmus Okamar