Kenya

The poverty level in Kenya hovers around 50 percent, with a large section of the population living on less than $1 a day. These statistics, however, mask several factors that contribute to destitution: from century-old colonial land policies, and International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank economic programs, to rural versus urban disparity, the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic, and inadequate educational resources. Alone, and more often combined, these socioeconomic issues have made it nearly impossible for families to climb out of the poverty cycle. It is only through higher educational achievements, entrepreneurial activity (often backed by microlending institutions), and more effective agricultural activities that some communities have been able to reverse their dwindling fortunes.

British colonial policies, for example the 1902 Crown Land Ordinance, disenfranchised ...