Miss Africa USA 2010: Contestant Hilda Nyaboke Mauya from Kenya

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School/Institution: Minneapolis Community and Technical College

Major/minor: Nursing and Electroneurodiagnostic Technology

Giving back:

• In 2000 I became a member of an NGO Coalition of Violence Against Women (COVAW). This NGO has set out to to fight for women rights, human rights on general and put an end to the brutal violence against women in Kenya.
• I have spent the last 24months working with a Non-Profit Organization known as Kenya Society for Academic Advancement to help needy children obtain an education. This organization has set out on a mission to help provide educational priviledges to the underpriviledged, orphaned, poverty and hunger stricken children obtain an education to better their lives and their community at large.We work with the local women groups in different provinces to help us locate and recruit this children that need sponsorship in advancing their education. they have to write an essay to the KSAA explaining to us why we should sponsor them, what education will benefit them and how they plan to give back to the society at the future.

• As your next Miss Africa USA, I will work together with the members of the KSAA NGO to achieve our goal of increasing our operating budget to $36,700 and identify a steady income source income in order to increase the number of beneficiaries from 13 to our long-term goal of 100 needy and underpriviledged beneficiaries.
• As the next Miss Africa USA I will work with our organization of a amazing human beings to increase fundraising scholarship recepients, recruit more women groups from other new provinces of Kenya to further assist us locate this beneficiaries.
• Also as your next Miss Africa USA, I will definately help in promoting and increase the membership donations, improve local visibility both in the USA and our homeland Kenya.
• Finally I will help in enhancing awareness of the dangers of Violence Against Women in Kenya and Africa at large.

Contestant Hilda Nyaboke Mauya from Kenya.

UGPulse: Traffic road accidents in Africa kill more Africans than some of the diseases that get more attention in the media. Sometimes vehicles strike pedestrians and leave them for dead. Given that most African countries lack resources, what are some of the things Africans and their governments can do to curb road carnage?

Road carnage is a serious problem throughout the world in both social, health and economic aspects of the human habitats. This endemic according to research is said to be the second largest cause of deaths for economically active people in the age group of 5-55 yrs old. However, while most developed countries in the western continents have managed to succeed in reversing the number of road fatalities, current trends in Africa indicate that the road carnage will increase with increasing motorization without effective remedial actions. These remedial actions include but not limited to creations of stop signs, pedestrian zebra crossing pathways, pedestrian sidewalks, posting of speed limit signs and actually reinforcing them, speed bumps around schools and markets.

According to the Arusha Times Newspapers in 2009, "East African countries record highest number of fatal road accidents in the world. Rwanda and Burundi experience lesser fatality rates but as urbanization deepens and as motor traffic enhances, the fatality rates could be as high. It is important to note that 65 percent of the fatalities in East African countries involve passengers in public transport vehicles and pedestrians.

Contestant Hilda Nyaboke Mauya from Kenya.

According to BuaNews reporting in 2009, its forecasted that by 2020, the annual global road death toll in Africa at large is forecasted to increase by over 45 percent while by 2015, road crashes are predicted to become the leading cause of premature death and disability for children aged 5 years of age and above. In addition, over 3,400 men, women and children are killed every single day on the world's roads while walking, cycling or driving. A global action plan should be more critical to intensify efforts in reviewing and upgrading driver training and licensing systems in every safe aspect possible all over the African continent.

We all know, or seem to know, the factors that lead to these outrageous road carnages; really I cannot refer them to accidents because we all effortlessly know we can PREVENT THEM. These causes that claim millions of lives each year and disable many more, includes but not limited to; over speeding, drunk driving or typically referred to as driving while intoxicated or under the influence, road raging, poor road infrastructure and cell phone use. These are some of the aspects that our governments in respective African countries focus in on and really reinforce the serious consequences that these individuals will face when found with any of the above offenses.

The governments can begin by making laws and regulations that each vehicle should have a fully qualified and stable speedometer installed in each vehicle. No vehicle new or old should be allowed to operate in the roads be it personal or commercial unless inspected by the agents of the ministries of public roads and transports.

Speed limit signs should be installed in every road that has any excess to even one pedestrian, and be strictly reinforced by the law and enforcement officers.

Driving under the influence is the most talked about controversial cause of accidents that still people with their right minds continue to do. There should be an adamant and unforgivable penalty to these culprits that should include being arrested and serving time with an inclusion of treatment time based on whatever substance is in question here that has been abused.

It is widely known now that most, if not all, African countries have advanced technologically in the area of communication and most are now in full force using their cellular phones while driving. This habit should be kicked to the curb and the only way this can be managed successfully is if the government introduced a law that completely bans anyone from using their cell phone while driving... for whatever reason. And if found defying the law, they should be given a huge penalty, fine or reasonable sentence to instill the important of eradicating this cell phone use while driving.

And finally but most certainly not the least, each country in Africa should collaborate with the World Bank, United Nations and other NGOS to help rebuild and improve road infrastructures, help install new traffic regulations, traffic signs, and provide new guidelines for driver training and licensing systems to help make Africa a much safer continent, and put an end to to road carnage. 

Road Carnage is making infants orphans, claiming lives of families. Together as a continent we can definitely put more efforts to put an end to it. 

Contestant Hilda Nyaboke Mauya from Kenya.