Where exactly are you?

We live in Kijabe, Kenya. David's work benefits several East African countries, while Lisa is currently focusing on the inhabitants of the Great Rift Valley. To give you a better idea of where we live, we've gathered some information about Kenya for you.

Republic of Kenya

Kenya lies on the east coast of Africa, right on the equator. It is a former British colony and most people speak English and Swahili in addition to their tribal languages.

Kenya consists of several climate zones: tropical on the coast, the northern two-thirds of the country are desert, in the middle there are mountains and in the southwest there is savanna.

The country is 7 times the size of Austria.

We are staying in Kijabe, a small town on the forested slopes of the Great Rift Valley with a view of Volcano Mt. Longonot at sunset. The town has grown over the years around the AIC Kijabe Hhospital Kijabe has grown up around it. It lies about an hour northwest of Nairobi – the capital.

In Kijabe the School The children are about a 5-minute walk away. Lisa's Children's home It is about a 20-minute drive away, and David can quickly reach the country's main highway to get to clinics or the airport.

Salzburg is approximately 5,800 km away from Kijabe. However, relatively inexpensive flights are available from Munich or Vienna to Nairobi.

Kenya has 5.5 times as many inhabitants as Austria – of which more than 501,300 are children!

Most people live in the southwest and along the coast. The graphic (right) shows the population density.

The most important industries are agriculture…

…and tourism.

Austria's gross domestic product (GDP) is ¼ of its total gross domestic product.
The average annual income is $1,700 (Austria is almost 30 times higher), with most families having to get by on less than 15 EUR a week, which is still much better than in other African countries.

Here You can find more Austria/Kenya comparison statistics.

Kenya is a beautiful country with lovely people and great potential, but Kenyans also face major challenges.

The biggest challenges facing Kenya right now are:

  • Corruption (ranked 144th out of 180 on Transparency International's "Corruption Index")
  • Poverty (46% of the population below the poverty line)
  • Devastation and drought (more than 601,000 TW of the country's land area)
  • Refugees from South Sudan & Somalia (>½ million people)
  • Low health standards (9% HIV & 7.4% mortality rate of children under 5 years old)

Sources:

imgkid.com, thetruesize.com, google maps, columbia.edu, Transparency International, UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO