Rob:  Living in an under-developed country is difficult especially when there is little hope to change things.  However, that’s not the case with a graduate student from Kenya who is taking steps to make a difference in his home village by educating himself abroad.  With more on that, joining me now is Courtenay Dehoff.
Courtenay:  Patrick Saisi is definitely on a mission for change, and what he hopes to change is the way people think in Africa and here in Oklahoma.
Courtenay Dehoff:  In this Keswaheli class at OSU, the students are learning more than just a new language.  They’re also learning about African culture.  But the information that Kenyan graduate student and Professor Patrick Saisi is learning can make the difference between life and death for those depending on him back home.
Patrick Saisi:  I come from a village called Cheptulu.  It is from the western part of Kenya.  We have around 1200 people in that village, and it’s pretty moderate, as far as life is concerned.  We are fighting poverty there.  We are fighting through education and making sure that people understand that development lies in education and in themselves.
Courtenay:  The advantage of having an American education is what led Saisi to Oklahoma.  And the demands from home are what keeps him here in Oklahoma obtaining his graduate degree.
Saisi:  In Africa we need almost everything.  So I thought, if I know something in business, if I know something in economics, and then international relations, then agriculture because of hunger always in Africa, I think I’ll be holistically approaching education.
Courtenay:  Responsible for so much more than teaching and writing dissertations, Saisi knows he is expected to succeed while he is away from home.
Saisi:  The vision that I have for my village is to be poverty free.  
Courtenay:  Constantly mindful of the bigger picture, Saisi knows exactly what he wants for his community back home, and how it will be attained.
Saisi:  We may not eradicate everything; but the standard of living, I would like to see all children going to school.  I would like to see people involved in business.  I would like to see poverty being reduced to almost zero.  That is the vision.  And my mission to that is to look at, how can we accomplish education?
Courtenay:  While Saisi’s village in Keyna is making great progress in early childhood education, Saisi is also interested in a career in developmental politics, because he says his village needs to be heard.
Saisi:  When you live in a village, you know that village better, than when you just, when somebody comes from somewhere and comes to say, hey this is, you need to do this.  I want to change the attitude that the villagers even though they may be poor, even though they may be illiterate; they know something about that village.  And, when you are doing development, please listen to them. That is something that is lacking; big gap; we are just told what to do.
Courtenay:  Upon returning home, Saisi has lots of work to do, starting with helping his village to raise the children.
Saisi:  A kid belongs to everybody, and it’s very important for me to do well here.  And that’s why within five years, I may be getting my Master’s and PHD, finish quickly and get out of here and go home.
Courtenay:  In the poorest parts of Africa, almost half the population lives on less than a dollar a day.  So you could say that helping his fellow Africans rise above poverty is Patrick’s biggest motivation for coming to the United States.
Rob:  So Courtenay, how popular is the trend of Africans coming to the states for a higher ed degree?
Courtenay:  Well Rob, the number of Africans traveling to the United States to obtain college degrees is growing.  In fact, Africans average the highest educational attainment of any other ethnic group.
Rob:  Courtenay, in my experience, many of the Africans I’ve met have come from very meager backgrounds, and it’s just a struggle to get here.
Courtenay:  It is, but in Africa, life is very communalistic.  So often times, students have the moral and financial support of their entire village, which Patrick will tell you just increases the pressure to do well in his studies, then hurry up and get back home to his loved ones in Kenya.