S.S.T/P/6: SOCIAL SERVICES IN EAST AFRICA

DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES IN EAST AFRICA

• Social services are services provided to the public by government and non-government organizations.
• Examples of social services include; Health, Education, transport, Communication, Security, religion.
• Social amenities are services provided to people to improve their welfare with a pay e.g. Piped water, electricity, garbage collection.

EDUCATION

There are two types of education thus;

• Formal and informal education before the coming of Europeans, people were getting informal education from their homes, elders acted as teachers while fireplaces were classrooms, subjects taught include; music, games, cooking, hunting, crafts, culture, grazing, etc.

Formal education;

• It was started by European missionaries.
• Subjects taught include; reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, religious education etc.
• All the first schools, in East Africa were started by missionaries e.g. Namilyango -1902.Mengo -1903, Budo- 1906 and Gayaza- 1905.

Importance of education

• It provides us with knowledge and skills that enable us to live better lives and utilize the environment more usefully.
• We get professionals like Doctors, teachers, Engineers, etc that sustain our economy.
• It eradicates illiteracy.

MEDICAL CARE

• When people are healthy, they are able to work and contribute to economic development.

Places that provide health services include;

• Hospitals
• Health centres
• Dispensaries
• Clinics

• The earlier medical centres in East Africa set up by European missionaries e.g. Mengo-1897, Nsambya and Rubaga.
• The first government hospital in Uganda which Entebbe Grade B.
• The biggest hospital in Uganda is Mulago which was commissioned by governor Sir Walter Coutts.

Advantages of health services

• Increase people’s life expectancy.
• Lowers the death rate among people.
• Reduces the spreading of infectious diseases.
• Health people are energetic and thus can promote development.