international community

Something that I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog and will now elaborate on is the international community presence in Nairobi. I have been told that Nairobi attracts the headquarters for many NGO's -- Non Government Organization. For instance, the Presbyterian Church USA of which I am a part is an NGO. Also Save the Children and other such non-profit groups.

What this has meant is that the people in Nairobi, particularly those of the middle class, are exposed to a larger worldview than the one which most Africans share. I am going to draw a parallel here with Shanghai, China. Shanghai is a very international city and there are many foreigners who work there and pass through there on the way to other points in China. There are many English speakers and a standard of living which allows for international travel, education and an awareness of many issues beyond one's daily life. As in Nairobi, this does not mean that Shanghai is without its poverty. What it does mean is that there is a sophisticated middle class which can work towards producing changes in global awareness and in progressing towards global standards in health care, education, etc.

I spoke with someone recently about the situation in China where there is such a critical lack of opportunity or options for people and realized, perhaps for the first time, that it may take another 20 or 30 years for things to change in China. It will take at least that long in Africa I would assume. Africa is the poorest continent and due in part to the crippling effects of a colonial legacy, there is a huge amount of work that must be done just to get to a point of having the basic needs of most Africans met. So perhaps Nairobi is a point of reference, a compass, a city to watch to see what the future possibilities may be for the African continent as a whole.