February 11, 2010. A local plan called "Goats for Gold" that plans to give a goat to Kenyans for every gold medal won by a Canadian athlete is Olympic boosterism at its worst. Given the suffering and eventual end that goats in Kenya meet according to the Kenyan SPCA, it is akin to an animal sacrifice. Furthermore, it is neither helpful nor respectful to the very people this initiative proposes to help.

I have visited Kenya for an extended period and visited many non-governmental and government funded aid projects there. The most successful projects are those that address the needs and wants of Kenyans and do not impose the values of other cultures on them. Desertification is such a problem in much of Kenya that importing grazing animals will only exacerbate the problem, eliminating the possibility of implementing more sustainable food projects that Kenyans want and need.

Micro-loans have empowered many Kenyan women to develop small business projects based on local products and the local economy. These sustainable efforts keep the money in the hands of those who feed their children and send them to school, before spending any money on themselves. NGOs estimate that it over 90% of money given to women will be spent on their children's health and education. When women are financially self-sufficient it also reduces the incidence of marital abuse and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Projects which bring economic self-sufficiency to people in places with endangered species and ecosystems also protect the animals and their homes because the survival of people and animals is interdependent. If a family is working in an eco-tourism initiative or has a reliable income from another source, they will be unlikely to poach endangered animals in order to survive.

Much of the inequality in Kenya comes as a result of colonialization and the subsequent ascent to power of a Kikuyu controlled government which discriminates openly against other cultural groups such as the Luo and Masai...to name a few. Laws restricting freedom of association (where groups of people are not allowed to meet) and freedom of expression (where protests are banned), and the outright murder of political candidates has stifled the development of democracy in Kenya. Until such time as the people of Kenya can exercise self-determination, the systemic problems plaguing so many in the country will continue unabated.

Roslyn Cassells is a BC based social justice activist and Canada's first elected Green. She is an ardent animal and human rights activist, and writes, teaches and campaigns for positive social, economic and ecological change everywhere.