Closing

Today, I stood on the west end of the Indian Ocean, looking eastwards.

The orange sun that just rose above the sea would have claimed its position halfway up the sky, at the place I would be, in less than 5 days- Singapore. RIght beyond my line of sight.

It was kinda strange to realize that my loved ones, back home; the ones whom I synced my breakfast/lunch/dinner schedules with are now living a time table so different from mine. I have thought a lot about going back home and seeing my family again.

Everytime I imagine a senario of me being back in Singapore/Burma, I get excited, but a little nervous at the same time. It has been almost a year, and many countless encounters that has changed the way I live.

But I know that the moment I land home, I would be welcomed with open arms and hands. I guess that's the meaning of family... Unconditional love, without the limits of any time or space.

Malindi @ Sunrise.
A bird lands on top of a mounument to mark the first Portugese settlers in the East Coast.

SIT Fall 2009, People

This post if for all the wonderful people of SIT Fall 2009. (:

Thanks for all the colourful memories, and I hope these photos, in someways would preserve these memories, a little longer...



Mzee Odoch, after calling timeout at the soccer match in Shirazi.



Jamal, just before snorkeling


Miltone @ the Headquarters


Mama Mary, at SIT office



Melanie, Jordon and Johanna on the Tuk-Tuk to Snorkeling in Malindi


Gilia, Malindi.


Caroline at Sunrise, Malindi



Sophie, Malindi


Dennis, MYSA


Jordon, Malindi


Becca, Catherine, Melissa and Alyson in their Kangas, Shirazi


Greta, Sammy and Lindsay @ MYSA


Melissa and Alix, Gede Ruins


Kathleen with the catch of the day, Shirazi


Catherine, Sipi Falls


John, Shirazi Farewell


Johanna, Malindi


Melanie, Mary Beth,and Kathleen taking a jump, Malindi

Mikako

Kali in Shirazi


Sindhya in Shirazi


Ben, Mombasa

Women, Economic Empowerment and Development

Abstract

Gender equality and women’s empowerment have been given much attention by international institutions and governments for their role in development. However, the views on women’s rights vary across cultures, religions, and socio-economic lines. More recently, economic empowerment of women has seen to be one of the culturally sensitive methods of promoting development through women’s empowerment. Even as governments and organizations engage in economic empowerment of women, it is important to recognize the distinctions in the definitions of success and empowerment, according to the women themselves, in order to achieve the goals of gender equality and women empowerment.

This study gives voice to 20 Kenyan women in the coastal area to express their own definitions and ways of achieving success and empowerment, as well as their perspectives on challenges and solutions in their efforts towards economic empowerment. According to these women, money and children are fundaments of a successful woman. Their desires to improve the lives of their children encourage these women to take up work. Their aspirations for work stems from their self-identity as a mother, indicating the strong family ties attributable to culture and religion. It is also found that economic empowerment could lead to women empowerment, as women become more confident, independent and respected through work. However, this finding is not consistent for all modes of employment. Additionally, unlike the widely accepted view that traditionally defined gender roles hinder women empowerment efforts, these 20 women interviewed expressed that deviation from gender roles could cause disempowerment of women and troubled marriages.

Here are some of the portraits. Please note that the quotes are excerpted from the interview.


*Please email me, if you would like a copy of the paper.

Living in cities have made me accustomed to many things; noise is one of them. At times, silence is more audible than any other sound to me.

I found that out the last Sunday, as I sipped a hot cup of chai. I came close to burning my tongue, from drinking the tea too quickly, a habit I have developed over time. For about 6 years in Singapore, I, like many others, have tight morning schedules. Wake up at 5.50. Toilet, brush teeth, shower. 15 minutes. Get dressed, comb hair. 5minutes. Breakfast. 10 minutes. Socks, shoes and keys. 3 minutes. Out of the house by 6.25am, in time to catch the 6.40 train to school.

But that morning, in Naivasha (a small town just an hour outside Nairobi), I just sat at the cafe, enjoying the feel of the sweet hot liquid down my throat. I was too caught up in blowing, and sipping the tea, I hadn't noticed the loud alarm of the car just outside the cafe, until my friend, Kali, who was sitting across the table pointed out. That was probably another habit acquired over the course of living in busy, noisy places.

You just block out what you don't need to see or hear. Anything that gets in the way of completing your (endless list of) tasks lined up for the day is redundunt. Ignore it, or you will be wasting time and your schedule would be messed up. Life is short, gotta do what you gotta do to live to the fullest. No time to waste. Always on the go.

That lifestyle is satisfying to me. And I think I have become too accustomed to revert it. But the trip to Naivasha has also shown me, how slowing down and enjoying simple things. If you paused and looked carefully enough, nature has many things to offer and teach us.

Kali and I had just woken up, at 5.50 again. But this time, there were no places we had to be in minutes. We strolled to the edge of slope overlooking lake Naivasha and the mountains in the great Rift Valley. We sat there, wating the sunlight slowly filling colours to the gigantic sky and the range of mountains, like an invisible paint brush colouring a canvas. (I could describe what I saw, but it could become a like a paragraph in the novels...)

I felt small and humble amidst those mountains, and thankful, for a chance to breath the air, the sounds and the sights of a beautiful morning unfold. The evening before, we had also been blessed to see the sun set. That, and several other beautiful sights.


Sunset.
Photo by Alex Kamweru





Resilience. A small plant, holding on to the dry, hard rock with its fragile roots and a strong will to survive.
Photo by Alex Kamweru



Alex.
The photographer and a friend, who has taught me resilience and compassion.

Naivasha

Other sights along the journey.

Naivasha Town.






The soil here is rich and fertile. Vegetables abundant.


Mount Longonot. A Dormant Volcano.


Ever seen a tree grow taller than clouds?



Unfortunately, some of these beautiful sights that [detox] your soul is taken away by the building of a dam.