COMPARISONS between the US and Kenya

Literacy:
Kenya – 85% (illiterate are typically older women)
US – 99%

Average life span:
Kenya – 49 (AIDS, tribal clashes, tropical diseases, infant mortality, etc)
US – 78

Infant mortality rate:
Kenya – 60 deaths per 1,000 live births
US – 6

Population growth:
Kenya – 2.6%
US - 0.9%

Median age:
Kenya – 18
US – 36

Age structure:
Kenya – 43% aged 14 and under
US – 20% aged 14 and under

Fertility rate:
Kenya – 5 children per woman
US – 2 children per woman

HIV/AIDS rates:
Kenya – almost 7%
US – less than 1%

These numbers aren’t just statistics. These numbers represent real faces, real people – they represent my friends. Hopefully these facts and figures will paint a “picture” of sorts for you.

The American and Kenyan lifestyles are so different – especially economically!

After having lived in a foreign country for most of the past five and a half years, I believe I can wholeheartedly agree with those who claim that Americans are rather self-absorbed. The average American only thinks of the good ol’ US of A – how wonderful it is, how mighty we are, and how booming our economy is. We conveniently ignore the fact that literally billions of people in the world don’t have the essentials of life: clean water, proper sanitation, and three meals a day.

Unlike Americans, Kenyans don’t have kitchens full of food. Rather they ask God for their daily bread! Many of my Kenyan friends only eat two meals a day – that is, if you count tea as a meal!

Unlike Americans who (relatively speaking) have huge homes, most urban Kenyan families live in one room that’s only 100 square feet (commonly called a 10x10). Your bedrooms are likely larger than that!

They share a community toilet and washroom with several other families.

Americans seem (to me) to be in hot pursuit of more and more leisure, more and more luxury items, more and more comfort, and more and more pleasure, amusement, and entertainment.

On the contrary, Kenyans struggle just to meet their most basic needs. They live with almost no luxury and virtually no time for leisure activities. Rather, their days are consumed with survival. To state it in terms maybe you can understand, to most Kenyans toilet paper is a luxury!

Coming next time -

"6 Questions I'm commonly asked about my ministry in Kenya"

By the way, I'd love to hear your comments on the above information!