Costumul popular Samburu, Kenya

 Connect 4 Change and SEED Samburu want to implement traditional and modern information and communication technology for underprivileged Samburu in rural areas. The vast majority of the Samburu – 87.5% ! – is illiterate and have no idea what their rights are. People are taking advantage from the ignorance, poverty and illiteracy of the Samburu. With this project the Samburu get information which does empower them to fight for their rights and t... 

 The Samburu population counts 223.947 Samburu (2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census), 87.5% is illiterate (Kenya Literacy Survey 2006), 63% of the Samburu children above 3 years in Samburu Central do not attend school (1), 58% of the boys and 63% of the girls in Samburu Central didn’t finish Primary School (1), only 2.185 Samburu students are in Secondary School (1), 319 are following Tertiary Education(1), 120 are in university(1) and 30 are studying Polytechnic(1). (1) This information is generated from the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census volume 2 that covered all the population 3 years and above.2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census, supplied by SNV Kenya. Some people are taking advantage of the ignorance and poverty of the Samburu and the fact that the majority of the Samburu don’t have a voting card. Civic Education is very necessary to inform the Samburu, so they can fight for their rights. If you ask a Samburu what his or her rights are, he or she has no idea about what you are talking. SEED Samburu puts a lot of effort in informing the Samburu and the fruits are already seen. For instance, the ownership of land. The Samburu weren’t aware that the government or other people could take over their land. Now they organized themselves in Group Ranches to be the owners of the land. These Group Ranches are registered and recognized by the government. Also education has a huge impact. For instance SEED Samburu sponsors girls who run away from forced early marriage and circumcision. The girls had learned at school that these cultural practices are against the law. In the traditional Samburu culture the women are not allowed to have an opinion and to express themselves. From the beginning SEED Samburu demanded the presence of women during meetings and trained the women in having a voice. Now the women are talking in public and expressing themselves. The elder men do listen to them.