About Kenya
Years of drought have had a serious impact on the well-being of Kenya’s children, increasing malnutrition rates, morbidity and mortality. Nearly a quarter of the population lives on less than $1 per day.
Issues facing children in Kenya
- Malnutrition rates in much of Kenya are critical. In some districts, a quarter of all children are acutely malnourished.
- Poor children still cannot afford to attend school; 9 out of 10 children from poor households fail to complete their basic education. School dropout rates are increasing, especially in drought-affected areas.
- An estimated 10,000 to 30,000 children have been caught up in the commercial sex trade. Many children resort to prostitution as a way to support themselves after fleeing violence in their homes.
- As of 2010, 43 percent of Kenya’s population is below 14 years of age.
- Nearly 75 percent of Kenyans are engaged in agriculture, producing tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, and eggs.
- However, Kenya is classified by the UN as a low income, food-deficient country.
- Fifty-two percent of people live below the poverty line, while 58 percent live on less than $2 per day.
- The unemployment rate is 40 percent— currently the 13th highest rate in the world.
For more information on Kenya, visit:
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/kenya_2621.html
http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=kenya
http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/learn/world-vision-kenya
Map of Africa
Map of Kenya
