A glance at Informal Philanthropy in East Africa
Given the frequent broadcasted negative acumens about tribal conflicts, chronic poverty, education budget cuts, terrorist attacks, and governance problems in Africa, What possibilities could possibly exist in East Africa for Philanthropy? In the two eras or so following independence, most African countries adopted some form of ‘mixed economy’. State interventions were viewed as indispensable to drive balanced rapid economic advancement. This did not fully serve the purpose of improving the quality of life of the citizens. It was met with a frail indigenous business sector and poor governance. Should we then grapple with a mixed economy approach or is ‘informal aid’ a form of improving quality of life? In recent years, East Africa has warmly welcomed a new era of non-indigenous institutions that focus on the ‘currency of generosity’. This currency is engrained in understanding the behavior in initiatives like Simama na Mike or Breakfast at Mathare which operate in the heartbeat of our...