WE ARE EATING OUR FUTURE, DISGUSTING, ISN’T IT?

What’s the need of a fine house if you don’t have a tolerable environment to put on it? Henry David Thoreau. A nation that destroys it soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh breath to our people without any discrimination, to it we are all equal.

The name of our present society’s connection to the earth is “bad work” – work that is only generally and crudely defined, that enacts a dependence that is ill understood, that enacts no affection and gives no honour. Every one of us is to some extent guilty of this bad work. This guilt does not mean that we must indulge in a lot of breast-beating and confession; it means only that there is much good work to be done by every one of us and that we must begin to do it.

 None of us is happy to be associated with bad slog. Doing good work on our environment does not involve any hard task/labour; it’s all about doing that one ‘little thing’ every day. Something that won’t consume so much of our time, but it’s something that we will one day look back on it and be proud of ourselves. When we connect with nature we will restore ourselves, and that connection depends on each one of us individually.

To waste, to destroy our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining the future of our children. Why don’t we create that serene environment to them? They also have a right to, clean air, pure water and to the preservation of natural scenic, historic and aesthetic values of the environment. Let’s not just protect the environment but let’s create a world where the environment doesn’t need to be protected for the generations to come.

Talking of the ‘tembea Kenya’ programme, we all feel good travelling around Kenya to see all that there is in our beautiful game reserves and national parks. To see the entire heritage, enjoying every beauty that is in there. If we really love our children why can’t we preserve the same for them? Let’s make their future life as good as our fathers and mothers made ours.

The amount of destruction we are doing to our planet is inexcusable. Being in the shoes of Mother Nature I will never forgive humans for the multi destructions they have imposed on me. But she has the heart of a mother, so kind and easy to forgive. Why can’t we take advantage of that and give back what we took from her. We’ve been residents here for a blink of an eye. If we're gone tomorrow, will they miss us?

 Article by

Phyllis Tajeu

Email: ptajeu@scopeintervention.org

Water crisis in Kenya

43 % of Kenyan population does not have access to clean water. For a long time, water scarcity has been a major issue in Kenya, caused mainly by long persistent droughts, forest degradation, floods, poor management of water supply, contamination of the available water (especially in slums), and a sharp increase in water demand resulting from relatively high population growth.

One main reason why droughts are recurring in Kenya is deforestation. The largest forest in Kenya, Mau, distributes water to six lakes plus eight wildlife reserves, and some 10 million people depend on its rivers for a living. However, loggers and farmers have destroyed a quarter of Mau’s 400,000 hectares. The problem with deforestation is that it almost always leads to increased run-off, which has negative implications in both the rainy as well as the subsequent dry season.

For many years there has been an increased need for funding, management and development of water resources in Kenya because of the increasing population as well as the country’s increasing use of water for agriculture. However, Kenya’s water resources have been mismanaged through unsustainable water and land use policies, laws and institutions, weak water allocation practices, growing pollution, and increasing degradation of rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers and their catchments.

The disability to maintain clean water in Kenya is another main reason for the worsening of the water crisis in the country. Many Kenyans use wells to obtain domestic water and also use pit latrines that are often close in distance to the wells. This causes contamination of the wells because the micro-organisms travel from the pit latrines to the wells. 

While at the global level about 1 billion people are locked out of having access to safe water due to poverty, inequality and government failure, it is also clear that not having access to clean water is a main driver of poverty and inequality. In Kenya, largely due to recurrent droughts, millions of families that rely on crops and livestock are threatened and thousands of people die each year as a result of thirst and hunger. According to the World Bank (2010), the mortality rates of adult males, adult females, children under five, and infants has increased from 1990 to 2008. In Kenya, the water crisis has severely affected millions of lives in many ways as contaminated water resources are extremely unhealthy and typically result in multiple illnesses.

To address the above and many other challenges, the Kenyan government has made some progress in addressing water crisis in the country. One of such significant steps is the establishment of water ministry to promote and support integrated water resource management to enhance water availability and accessibility. Some of the key targets of the ministry are to: accelerate the implementation of water sector reforms; improve the sustainable management of water resources; improve the provision of water and sewerage services; improve the utilization of land through irrigation; mobilize resources and improve the management and access to water resources information.

Despite the progress made, especially by the devolved units of the government and the central government, it is be important to raise awareness among the Kenyan population, encourage investments from the private sector in water and also promote actions by citizen and local communities in promoting access to clean and safe water.

Article written by

Kenfrey Katui

Founder and Executive Director-Scope Intervention 

Email: kenfrey.katui@scopeintervention.org

What’s holding you back?

What’s holding you back? Dear Friend, You know how grave a threat the climate crisis is -- not just today, but also to the future of human civilization on this planet we will pass on to our children and grandchildren. You know that it’s up to us to protect a climate balance that supports and nurtures a healthy and prosperous future for the generations that will follow us. The good news is that we can -- but only if we take urgent action. That’s why I’m writing to invite you Scope Intervention and be part of extraordinary group of citizens who are committed to solving the climate crisis, now and forever. By being part of us, you will be empowered to communicate the reality of the climate crisis, inspire your local community and help to confront the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. With so much on the line for our planet and with your chance to help solve the challenge of our time right in front of you, I’ve got just one question. What’s holding you back? Sincerely Scope Intervention team

Lets Do something

The recent flooding of Nairobi had twitter coming up with all sorts of funny pictures and tweets... and that’s ok because we (Kenyans) come out as strong people who through bad times can still get to laugh.
Good for us, we are a happy country.  At the same time we want to blame Governor Kidero for controlling rain and it is his fault that he let there be too much down pour while he had not unclogged the drainage system in Nairobi.  Whenever a natural disaster strikes we want to blame someone for not doing something.  We have heard time and time again of global warming and climate change, it’s like a song that we have not yet internalized as a Nation.

Lake Nakuru with no Flamingos.. The salty water lake just turned in to a fresh water lake .

The rains that are destroying, house furniture, businesses and cars... Climate change people...Climate change. When will we do something about it? Does it have to be until it personally affects for you to want to do something about it then? The Late Professor Wangari Maathai fought so hard for us to be able to live in a better environment.  I don’t have to point out everything that she had for us and the earth you all know, you all read it and had her speak about it. Then why aren’t we doing as she did and more so that our children and children’s children can live in a habitable world?

We are wasting a lot of time yapping about other issues that will be inconsequential in the long run after various other natural disasters strike. What is the ministry doing about this? I think that more money should be poured into environmental conservation for two reasons. One... Climate change is happening and so the wildlife and the panoramic scenery that we are boasting about will not be present for the said tourist to pay top dollar to come see. Two… Resources are getting scarce due to climate change and people’s way of living is bordering desperation…and that’s a breeding ground for a very bad and selfish people.
The sooner we each give a **** to the climatic changes happenings and do something about it the better of we will be later then everybody can go back to their greed and selfish driven ambitions. Can we all agree to do something geared towards environmental conservation???????

Gladys Cheruiyot
Communications and Advocacy Officer
Scope Intervention Organization

GAS MASKS FROM BIRTH TILL DEATH…???

Clean water and fresh air are free gifts to us from nature. Trees that surround us purify the air we breathe despite the tones of poisonous gases we release annually .What we don’t know  is that as we cut these trees  the more the gas will increase and it may reach a time we have  to wear gas masks  24/7. Imagine that for a minute…wont you miss just being free and breathing fresh air.??? Being forced to carry an oxygen tank like a school bag; won’t that be just tiresome? 

Well as we enjoy breathing fresh air there is a small island located in southeast china called Miyakejima, where residents wear gas masks even during wedding ceremonies .It’s not some form of fashion but as a result of volcanic eruptions that took place back in 2000.The island people before 2000 had already adapted to recurrent volcanic eruption but in 2000 the worst happened. This volcanic eruption caused poisonous gases to leak from earth that forced the 3600 island residents to evacuate, but the citizens won’t stay away.

Surprisingly after this eruption was followed by 17,500 earthquakes which hit the island between June 26^th and July 21^st. During this eruptions and earth quakes, Miyakejima was enveloped in ash plumes reaching 10 miles in height, pyroclastic flow (fast flow of superheated gas), and heavy ash fall alongside crater collapses. This disaster also led to high levels of toxic sulfur dioxide regularly leaking up through the ground making 20% of the land uninhabitable. 

Sulfur dioxide at high concentration affects lung function, worsens asthma attacks and aggravates heart diseases' in sensitive groups. Three months after the disaster the government took action and forced a mass evacuation in September. For five years, Miyakejima was declared off limits. The island was left with dead trees, rusted cars, and abandoned buildings. Slowly the evacuation order was lifted and in 2005 residents were allowed to return to their homes. Others preferred to remain in Tokyo but surprisingly 2,800 chose to return, but had to adopt wearing gas masks and dangerous gases seeping through the air. 

Despite all these gas tourism is leading in the area, with tourist purchasing gas masks from ferry stations. Due to the eruption there is a great view from sightseeing, from a boned houses, crushed cars and areas that erupted. The lives of these island people are forever tied to wearing gas mask and protective gears but not by choice but circumstances. Our current status where really don’t really give that much to climate change and combating its effects might lead to one day  all of us living the same life style with no alternative. Before we reach there let’s keep planting trees…it’s that simple!!!!!!

Author: Angela Keter (Advocacy and Communication Officer-Scope Intervention)

Email: kangela@scopeintervention.org

10 Most beautiful places on earth we must conserve

Here is a list of 10 most beautiful places on earth that you should visit.

10. Bamboo Forest, Japan

9. Geiranger Fjord, Norway

8. Nairobi National Park

7. Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brasil

6. Moraine Lake, Canada

5. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

4. Victorial Falls Zimbabwe/Zambia

3. Tianzi Mountains, China

2. Maasai Mara National Researve

1. Rice Terrace Fields in Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam

Abuse on Environment is abuse on women

Abusing the environment is like abusing the African woman just as striping a woman is gender abuse. There is more to gender abuse than we are aware of. Some of this gender abuses have passed on like normal activities to us and we never realize a specific gender is being abused by them. Believe it or not degradation of the environment and the effects of climate change largely affect the women in our society.

In a UN meeting held in New York Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka the Executive Director of the United Nations Agency dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women said “women are on the frontlines, bearing the brunt of climate change”. She noted that women and children are 14 times more vulnerable than men in climate change related natural disasters, such as floods and droughts. 

According to researcher’s women are the ones who will be affected mostly by climate change in different parts of their life cycle especially during child bearing from the fetus to the growing of the child. The survival of women and children mainly depend on the natural resources that are available.

“In Kenya women are the first victims of environmental degradation, because they are the ones who walk for hours looking for water, who fetch firewood, who provide food for their families.”Wangari Maathai .

Most the time in Kenya men leave their women in their rural homes to go and work in urban areas .These women left at home have to go to their farms every morning and take care of our their livestock .
The current climate changes has led to unpredicted weather patterns, floods and drought .Our women are left to deal this effects. They are the ones who have to wake up early in the morning to walk for miles to look for water and firewood. While we pollute our rivers our women have the responsibility to wash clothes, cook food and bathe their children. They are the ones who mostly go to these rivers to fetch water. They are the ones who will be directly affected by the chemicals in this water .While trees are being cut deforestation is taking place leading to drying up of rivers and scarcity of firewood .
Our women are the ones after all this who have to walk for miles looking for this necessities .These women are our mothers, sisters, daughters and wives. Despite their daily efforts to ensure our children are clean, well fed and in school things we do largely affect them and go unnoticed. Women bring us up and ensure we get the best they can afford, they spend nine months of their lives carrying each child, the rest of their lives are spent raising us but we never appreciate these efforts. For each tree that is being cut a woman has to walk further for firewood, as we pollute our rivers our women have to walk further to find different sources of water. As we sit in our comfort zones enjoying money from selling timber a woman out there is walking for miles looking for a river that is not dried up.

Author: Angela Keter (The author is a communication and advocacy officer at Scope Intervention)

Email: kangela@scopeintervention.org