Speeches Shim
On October 4, the United States through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new Sh759 million ($7 million) 3-year Local Works program in the Mara landscape, Northern, and Coastal Kenya to support local communities recover from the loss of tourism and livelihoods due to adverse impacts of COVID-19. Local Works will engage local leaders and community members to design solutions that will attract and increase private sector investment, support economic empowerment of local communities, especially for women and youth, and enhance the capacity of community conservancies to access funding necessary for them to thrive and establish stable livelihoods .
Ashley spent her teenage years living hand-to-mouth in Kenya's coastal region. Searching for a better life, her father moved the family to an informal settlement in Mombasa County. “Frequently we had no meals or basic necessities,” explained Ashley. “We lived a miserable life.” Due to lack of education, he took menial jobs. With most of his income spent on family needs, education for Ashley and her siblings was not possible.
While health pandemics test healthcare systems, the economy, and our resilience, youth in Kenyan counties are rising to the challenge. Youth complement the incredible work of healthcare practitioners in preventing, creating awareness about, and managing the virus. In Bungoma, Garissa, Kericho, Kisii, Kwale, Migori, Nairobi, Nyeri and West Pokot counties, USAID supported youth through the Kenya Youth Employment and Skills (K-YES) program to respond to the COVID-19 crisis in their communities.
Diseases like Tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 are respiratory infections transmitted by air, and are prevalent across many African countries, including Kenya. It is especially important that people with TB keep their immune system strong by taking their treatment as prescribed and protecting themselves from COVID-19 by washing hands, wearing masks, and practicing social distancing.
While Kenya scores 81 (out of 100) on the Women, Business and the Law 2020 index and ranks 109 out of the 153 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2020 with 0.671, significant inequalities between males and females in education attainment, health outcomes, representation in parliament, and participation in the labor market remain.
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