Lessons learned during an internship through the Earth Institute
African cities are surprisingly much more developed than charitable campaigns lead outsiders to believe. Capitals and regional hubs provide services for a variety of socio-economic statuses and a recent boom of Chinese investment in transportation infrastructure has drastically cut down long-distance commutes. Yet, like most developing regions in the world, most large and mid-sized African cities struggle to regularly deliver services such as education, health care, water and sanitation.
Closing the gap on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in sub-Saharan African cities is the focus of the Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI), an affiliate of Columbia University’s Earth Institute. Specific cities, such as Kisumu, Kenya, are selected as millennium cities in regards to their potential to serve as integrated development models that can be replicated across the region. Each millennium city faces specific challenges, such as high prevalence of malaria, as well as advantages, such as proximity to natural resources.
Kisumu sits on the shores of Lake Victoria in eastern Kenya and enjoys the Luo tribal reputation of a relaxed and peaceful lifestyle. This is a fact I can attest to as much of my work involved canvassing the city’s planned and unplanned settlements. Residents in slums, such the notorious Manyatta, were generally convivial and excited to help in the data collection process. Community leaders, business members and even children would help direct me to locations necessary to visit for accurate data collection.
Through cooperation with Tsinghua University, Colombia University, MCI Kisumu and the Department of Environment in Kisumu I was able to work side-by-side with development experts and regional leaders to address the burgeoning solid waste management issues the region faced. We undertook a comprehensive survey of the cities half-million plus population and focused on illegal dumping practices and communal sanitation trends. While the work itself was not pretty, the smiles of residents and their keen interest in local politics kept me inspired.
The Kenyan way of approaching situations is undeniably different than other cultures and served as a touchstone upon which to ground lessons learned. Time is in Africa is more fluid and meetings tend to occur when interested parties are ready. Political consensus is developed through familial ties where personal relations will frequently take precedent over statistical analyses. Community is strong, maintains heritage and remains the key political block for organizing large activities, such as the Department of Environment’s Monthly Clean-Up Exercise.
Development efforts in foreign contexts need to remain sensitive to the regional cultures. Only through understanding the correct channels and building personal relations can one expect to be successful. I would still endorse following personal values and beliefs, but one must learn how and when to push the right buttons. Humble yourself, be as much a student as a teacher, and plant more seeds than you take away. You never know what effect your actions might have in the future.
By Tyler Shelden, MID 2012 Class
