http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/06/opinion/06friedman.html?ref=thomaslfriedman&pagewanted=print
Thomas Friedman asked several Kenyans how they thought Africa could be freed from "poverty, disease and misgovernance." The first woman identified one of the major solutions to these problems as education for women. Although education was available for many poor girls, she had found that the poor girls missed several days of class every month when they were menstruating because their families could not afford sanitary napkins, eventually causing these girls to fall behind and drop out of school. To combat the problem, the woman worked with NGOs to give poor girls free sanitary napkins.
The next man identified democracy as a major solution because it increased government transparency and reassured citizens and outside investors, making them more likely to invest in Kenyan businesses because there is less fear that "the new guy will change all the rules -- often for his cronies."
The next woman proposed cell phones and technology as a solution because it would allow poor, uneducated, rural farmers to connect to urban areas.
Lastly, Friedman asserts the need for more honest, hardworking, open role models to inspire people to oppose government corruption and work hard and honestly to make a living.
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