Radio Drama in Poverty Alleviation
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Date
2009
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
Kericho is a rich agricultural area. The whole district is fertile with rains
and intermittent sunshine throughout the year. The red volcanic soil is perfect for the
growth of tea, maize, beans, potatoes and so many other food crops. However, it is the tea
that is the main cash crop of the area and it is so valuable that it has come to be known as
'green gold'. Tea grown in the vast fields of Kericho is exported worldwide and is a
major source of foreign income for Kenya. It is ironical, therefore, that many of the
people in Kericho live in abject poverty considering the 'green gold' that this land offers
the world at large.
Due to the agricultural activity in Kericho, many foreign companies have
invested in tea farming since colonial times. General stores and supermarkets have
sprung up to supply the laborers of the tea farms with food and other essentials. The
problem arises when these shops overprice most of their wares so as to maximize profits.
These traders capitalize on the high spending ability of the foreigners and management
staff of the town. This drives prices of basic requirements high, thus making life for the
poor in this town almost impossible.
Poverty in the area can be attributed to unemployment, lack of adequate
education and ignorance. If one is not employed, it becomes difficult to make ends meet.
With little education, it is next to impossible to seek employment due to lack of basic
know-how in any particular trade. Ignorance also causes people not to make use of
available resources to improve their living standards. Lack of adequate and consistent
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information makes it difficult to empower the larger population which is living in bad
conditions.
Living in poverty makes it difficult for one to access basic needs such as
education, healthcare and even proper nutrition. Such deplorable conditions make a
society desperate and hopeless, and this cripples any form of development. A poor person
may opt to live in this hopelessness and it is almost impossible to inspire a person who
does not have a reason to improve his or her own life. For example, a child born to poor
peasants may have to drop out of school after primary level. This happens because
secondary education is still quite expensive because only a limited number of students
receive government sponsorship. Since living conditions in the home are poor, he may try
to seek a future elsewhere but with limited education this hope is also crushed.
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Keywords
Poverty eradication, Poverty Alleviation