As the years went
by I have been able to meet and share ideas and experiences with several
volunteers, Government officers and other respectable members of our
society as pertains to the FIOH activities. These people have taken
steps that have helped the group to grow. One of the volunteers quipped
when we were visiting the countryside, "I had never seen inside
Kenya, I have only seen the tourist Kenya, from a hotel - car - hotel.''
The experiences so far gained have been shared with many people both
in Kenya and in other countries.
Facing the challenges
of being a group leader have been enormous. It has been quite tricky
leading people who had false notions that white people have lots of
money. An act which had been perfected over the years by politicians
by dishing out handouts and money. The Government had over the years
made people to believe that any form of development project belonged
to it. This made people have false hopes of just being there waiting
for their leaders (political) or the Government to decide on what project
they would be entitled to (Top to bottom approach). This led to the
collapse of all Government/Political funded projects. The populace viewed
such projects as for politicians or Governments.
The FIOH philosophy promotes the concept of Peoples Development by letting
all concerned persons decide for themselves what is best for them, by
empowering them. This is a bottom to top approach which leaves everybody
satisfied and that they have not been left out in any decision-making
process.
Perspectives
on world problems
I believe that most
of these have been brought about by the developed countries . This has
been through:
1. The past cold war of the West and East
2. Unbalanced trade
3. World Bank /IMF policies
4. Pollution
The Cold War
This led to funds being given to prop up the often corrupt ally governments.
Examples being Congo, Angola, Mozambique and so on. More than 85% of
the sourced funds were allocated to the Military leaving a paltry 15%
for the needs of the populace. This led to massive deaths as a result
of hunger and ill-health.
Unbalanced trade.
Most industrialised countries import most of their food and raw materials
from the developing countries. The developed countries unfairly determine
the price at which they buy these imports. The developing countries
are made to sign agreements on the false promise that the much needed
foreign funds will enable the economies of these countries to stabilise.
World Bank/IMF
Developing countries have gone ahead and signed loan agreements with
these lending Institutions on behalf of their citizens with disastrous
consequences.
If you asked an ordinary citizen of Kenya as to what the World Bank/IMF
meant, the answer would be in the negative. Some of the loans released
never reached the intended projects/programmes. The funds were diverted
into the bank accounts of corrupt Government officials lodged in the
developed countries.
When developing country governments could not raise the foreign exchange
to pay back their debts the IMF imposed very stringent conditions for
these governments so as to recover their money. For example the Structural
Adjustment Programme( SAP). These programmes led to massive suffering
of the populace. Examples, the forced retrenchment of Public Civil Servants
in Kenya, the common person paying with lack of health care, education,
poor infrastructure - thus leading to poverty.
Pollution
Emission of
harmful fumes into the atmosphere thus causing the greenhouse effect.
As a result of this, global warming leads to destructive floods as has
happened in Britain(2001), Mozambique (2000), Philippines.
Dumping of toxic wastes by the developed countries in poor countries.
Pollution caused by drilling for oil as happened in Nigeria (Ogoni area),
and oil spills from ships that transport it.
Possible solutions
Tackling of
Corruption by recovering the looted funds by some corrupt developing
country leaders stashed in bank accounts in the developed countries.
The developed countries should help in this. Does it make sense for
the World Bank/IMF to loan say $300 billion to a country where two government
officials of the same government have stashed $2 billion in their accounts?
More world-wide debt free campaigns as happened during the Jubilee 2000.
Writing off some of the debts by the two lending institutions instead
of it accumulating year in year out.
Putting in place more structures that would enable the developing countries
to have more say on the pricing of their exports.
Campaign to have
more funds allocated towards fighting poverty, illiteracy, ill health,
inadequate shelter, poor infra structure, corruption, overspending on
the military, etc.
Where possible,
developing countries must channel funds for development to the grass
roots for the communities to address their challenges thus leading to
bottom up approaches in development.
The above
thoughts have relevance to the FIOH philosophy. FIOH empowers groups
and individuals to re-examine themselves and change their lifestyles
for a better future. The affluent live in a state of their own. Some
since birth have never missed a meal and can hardly believe that a family
of five can go hungry for a day without a meal that costs £1,
or that one can die due to lack of medicine worth £1.
The FIOH philosophy and its approach enables such people to re-examine
themselves. For the poor it offers them a chance to choose the best
way forward despite their status. It enables them such to share Ideas
with others and find the best options.
In conclusion, the FIOH philosophy cuts through a cross section of the
society, for the betterment of ALL OUR FUTURES.
