Location:

Mombasa, Kenya; Nairobi, Kenya

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Fall Semester, Spring Semester

Program Overview

Program Description:

Study urbanization, health, and human rights in multiple locations in Kenya. This program examines health and human rights in Kenya through a complex constellation of urban issues including housing, urban infrastructures, land tenure, informal settlements, food (in)security in the city, and evictions. Students consider demographics, public health education, HIV/AIDS, health issues of orphaned and vulnerable children, women’s healthcare needs, differential access to healthcare, and mental healthcare, among other topics, in various cultural contexts. Students examine Kenya’s healthcare challenges, practices, and systems, in both rural and urban contexts, together with analyses of locally informed debates surrounding human rights. Coursework Overview The program consists of two thematic seminars; an intensive language course in Kiswahili, together with multiple homestays, to hone language skills; a course on research methods and ethics; and the opportunity to conduct in-depth, primary field research through the Independent Study Project (ISP). Study in Nairobi, Mombasa, and elsewhere in Kenya. The program has two bases: Nairobi and Mombasa. Students interact with a wide array of SIT partners and contacts in Nairobi, the regional base for numerous local and international nongovernmental organizations, and also in cosmopolitan Mombasa. Kenya’s second largest city, Mombasa is the site of emerging coalitions of Muslim and interfaith activists and civil society organizations challenging Kenya’s status quo on issues of health and human rights. Students also have group excursions to Kisumu, a vibrant city on Lake Victoria, and Lamu, an ancient example of African urbanization on the Indian Ocean and a focal point for regional economic development, as well as a one-week rural stay with a Mijikenda community in Takaungu. Shorter excursions include Malindi and the future site of Konza Techno City. Homestays and educational excursions help illustrate the outcomes of differential access to healthcare and the attendant challenges to human rights throughout Kenya.

The program consists of four different academic components: seminars in Health and Human Rights in Kenya and Urbanization and Public Health; Kiswahili language study; Research Methods and Ethics; and an Independent Study Project (ISP).

Please inquire for costs: Fees include tuition, full room and board, all field trips and related fares, health and accident insurance, and other direct program expenses. Participants pay for international airfare and domestic travel to the point of departure from the USA.

Setting Description:

Study at program bases in Nairobi and Mombasa, with excursions to other key sites in Kenya. Roughly two million people in Nairobi — more than half the population — live in informal settlements at great cost to human dignity, health, and well-being. “Slum” dwellers lack basic services including running water and sanitation as well as access to safe and reliable transportation, while suffering from insecurity, marginalization, and discrimination. Evictions are an ever-present risk. In Kenya’s second and third largest cities — Mombasa and Kisumu — issues of access to safe, affordable, and viable shelter are similarly challenging though unique to each site due to historical, linguistic, economic, ecological, and sociocultural distinctions. While media images of urban Africa focus on slums, luxury housing and gated communities grow exponentially in Kenya’s cities, providing a stark contrast to the precariousness of the informal settlements. With more Kenyans moving to urban areas, the cha

Additional Program Information

Scholarships:

Yes

Scholarships Description:

Please see our website for more information.