TOURISM, CHARITY, AND FATHERS’ FUNDRAISING STRATEGIES FOR THEIR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION ON THE KENYAN COAST
Increasing empirical evidence shows that child-raising and children’s formal education are influenced by and embedded in cross-border processes and constellations. In Kenya’s South Coast region, widespread support for children’s education is taking place through the long-term relationships local men and women are establishing with tourists from the global North. In this regard, seemingly casual beach encounters initiated by local fathers — who invite western tourist acquaintances to visit their villages and homes — have become a common parental strategy for engaging with tourists who have the potential to become sponsors for their children. In this article we look at the social, economic, and political background against which the quest for sponsors through “village visits” has emerged. We unveil the complex and interrelated factors at global, national, and local levels that shape these livelihood strategies. Based on a case study in which we analyze a beach worker’s efforts to engage tourists as sponsors for his child’s formal education during a village visit, we argue that these village visits are fundraising strategies that are similar to those employed locally by child-oriented non-governmental organizations, and are shaped by the region’s deeply rooted “culture of charity”.