Pro Poor Tourism Gains Momentum in Kenya
Pro Poor Tourism Gains Momentum in Kenya
Pro Poor Tourism Gains Momentum in Kenya
By James Asudi
A New Tourism Package is in the making by Victoria Safaris' James Asudi. This is the Propoor Tourism Package. Tourism is a dynamic industry subject to dynamic changes with time. Since time immemorial, Kenya is known to be a safari country and many tourists flock into Kenya to see the big five, namely the Rhino, Leopard, Lion, Bufallo and Elephant.
Today, the number of wild animals is dwindling due to human wildlife conflicts and as such Tour Operators are changing their destinations from wildlife to community and cultural based tourism or both. This includes Victoria Safaris which has started amongst its tour packages - Propoor Tourism Package in Kenya. Many tourists are opting for charitable tours and would also want to know the nature and livelihood of the indigenous people outside the game parks and in this instance, many visit the slums of Kenya in order to upgrade the livelihood of the Kenyan populace who are living below a dollar a day.
Pro poor Tourism in the Kenyan Rural and Slums
This is a new package which was founded by the author who is a Tour Operator Managing Victoria Safaris. Being an indigenous Kibera slum resident in the late 70s , James Asudi talks in confidence why and how he does the slum tours of Kibera, Mathare, Mukuru in Nairobi City and Nyalenda, Obunga in Kisumu City respectively. These tours are meant for those individuals, both local and foreign who are intending to have a feel of the other side of the out of the ordinary from wildlife to Propoor tours. This takes regular tourist to have a feel and taste of the Kenyan populace livelihood. The tours are meant for upgrading livelihood of the poor in the Kenyan rural and urban slums through tourism which includes; tourists buying the artefacts made by the poor populace directly from the poor thereby sidelining the middlemen,Tourists paying school fees and upkeep of slum kids while staying within or without the urban slum areas and rural set ups, donating school equipment, stationery and other educational items into the slum schools, and donating foodstuff, toys and any other amenities which the slum upgrade may need. These pro poor tours can be combined as an addition to the normal safaris to the wilderness as a pre or post tourism package. The tours are guided by those tour guides who double as community leaders living within these areas. The tours do not take more than 5 hours but are generally done between 2 - 4 hours and are conducted from various hotel residents of the tourists clients from Nairobi and Kisumu Cities. These tours are turning to be Charitable and philanthrothic tours. Touris willing to participate in these tours have of been distributing both food and school items to the populace staying in these areas. Tourist Doctors are setting up free clinic centers for treatment of the sick.
Kibera Slum Tours
Kibera is the most popular slum to visit for those tourists who are in transit or those who are passing by to various wildlife sanctuaries or for those who have finished their trips and have a whole day or a few hours in Nairobi before they depart. Kibera slums is just 6km from the city centre and has a population of about 1million residents although the latest census found that the population in Kibera Slums is less than half a million people. The Kibera Slum tours is a showcase of what you expect in various slums in Kenya both in the rural and urban centres. For a tour of this slum, individuals are encouraged to donate various food and non food items directly to the inhabitants and educational centres, not to mention the NGOs.
In Kibera, every indivudual minds his/her own business and the presence of foreigners is not a big deal for the inhabitants. Although living below a dollar a day per family, the inhabitants do not line up to beg. In the opposite, they mind their own daily chores of livelihood. There are small micro finance businesses which are supported by various NGOs which many of the inhabitants are currently involved.
Housing in Kibera is a shock for the first visitor, but the Kenya Government and UN Habitat are raising up flats for the slum dwellers and in the next 20 or so years, Kibera slums will be non-existent if the project is not abandoned.
Past Pro Poor tours
Victoria Safaris founded this type of tour in the year 2007, since then, Victoria Safaris has been joined by various Tour Operators in conducting these pro poor tour packages. Over 200 individuals have undertaken slum charity and Philanthropic tours in Kibera Slums since the inception of this package, these includes; journalists, families, Solo persons mostly ladies and students. Corporate bodies are enjoining in these tours and some of them are getting involved with these tours as corporate contribution to alivation poverty and also many companies are offering to support slum schools and also involve their staff in the one day corporate contribution both materially and physically cleaning some parts of the slums in Kenya.
Last year, 2009, Victoria Safaris received various families from America, Sweden, Belgium and Asia who generously and charitably contributed foodstuff to Tunza Children Centre and Baraka za Ibrahim School in Kibera, Humble Hearts School in Mukuru Slums, Soweto Power Women Curio Workshop in Kibera, Little Rock Nursery School and various homesteads within the slums have gained in one way or another during the tours of the slums.
Kibera Slums Children Scholarships
Following the inception of these tours, Kibera Slums kids have been sponsored by tourists through tourism from slum schools into various high cost boarding schools where tourists pay for their upkeep and also pay for their school fees, pocket money and transport back to the slums when schools close for holidays. Today, Paul Ouma, a kid from Tunza children Centre has finished Primary Education at Mukumu boys sponsored by a tourist whom Victoria Safaris took to Kibera for a tour of the slums.
Security
As is expected, slums harbour the poor who are expected to be very vulnerable when they see foreign visitors or any other visitor within their midst. During these tours, the tour guides happen to be community leaders and residents who live amongst the various populace and they are part and parcel of the slum dwellers. This has improved the security status of tourists visiting the slums. The community leaders in Kibera Slums have since highlighted the importance of Tourism in the rehabilitation of both economic and social status of various individuals living within the slums and as such, our personal experience has shown that the poor are very vulnerable only when they are not getting the benefits of such tours and as such, none of over 200 tourists visiting the slums with us for the last 4 years have never been attacked or confronted by the expected unruly and drunk slum dwellers.
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