Dr. Helida Oyieke

Question: What are some of the first-hand experiences and impacts on the environment you have witnessed in Kenya that drove your desire to help conserve the environment?

Presentation-"Women in Development and Environment: African Perspectives"

I was definitely excited to hear Dr. Helida Oyieke, from Kenya, give her experiences and comments about women in development and environment. During her presentation, she showed a slide show first, highlighting the actual location of Kenya. She followed with images of the Tana River, which has become silted due to the development in the area. She explained how those in the area are suffering from drought, deforestation, and the management of waste. It was interesting to hear Dr. Oyieke's experiences in environmental conservation and how many of the results of development in the environment impacts women negatively. Dr. Oyieke also explained how those problems triggered many women to form groups in Kenya and other countries to help the environment. A new vocabulary word to me, sustainable development, means the guidelines and policies to help the people to make sustainable decisions. Dr. Oyieke also explained that her experiences has proven that sustainable development has been difficult to reach for many countries. A main highlighting point to Dr. Oyieke's presentation was that development is directly intertwined with the environment and there is a partnership between human and non-humans. One of my favorite parts of the presentation was the quote one woman made about life being a circle. This makes it easier to examine exactly what role the woman plays in nurturing the circle. I also found it interesting that Dr. Oyieke's experience was that women had more interest in environmental conservation groups because they considered the future. Dr. Oyieke's many contributions to environmental conservation and activism are inspiring and it's also awesome that she stands up for women in Kenya, where equality remains unaccomplished.