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The project site, Kitui,
is a 3-hour drive from Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. The
target areas are the Maliku district in Kitui prefecture and
the Itolea district with a total population of 15,000. This
area is one of the poorest in the country. It has a rainfall
of only 600 mm. a year. The lives of the villagers have become
harder as the forests decrease.
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There is an average of
five children per family. Every family owns four or five small
huts.
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There are approximately 30 villages
in the project sites. Most of the villagers are farmers.
The villagers build their houses
with sun-dried bricks. The bricks are easily made by putting
clay-heavy soil mixed with water into a mold.
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The literacy rate in Kenya is 80%,
which is quite high. However, there are children who are not
able to go to school due to the need for labor such as drawing
water.
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Friendly children in Kenya. Their
cheerful attitude often comforts ICA's Japanese staff who are
working far from Japan.
Small street stalls selling colorful household items along the
main street of Kitui town. The project site is a one-hour drive
from here.
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The
river dries up completely in the dry season whereas water flows
through it in the rainy season. For the improvement of the villagers,
it is important to solve the water issues first and then to
carry out the integrated programs such as rehabilitation projects
for agriculture and forests, small-scale business projects for
income generation, and primary health care projects. It is therefore,
necessary for the villagers to have a strong commitment to improve
their lives. ICA is working to foster leaders, along with financial
support and wide-ranging expertise have made such a large-scale
project possible. |
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