The People of East Africa
Primary 6 · Social and Religious Studies
The People of East Africa
Lesson 4 of 4
20 min
Let's begin
In one year, many new families moved into Gatete's town. His class grew from 45 pupils to 60, and the classroom felt very crowded.
But new shops opened too, and a tailor from the new families now mends everyone's school uniforms.
Migration brings good and bad changes. Today you will weigh them up.
| Positive effects | Negative effects |
|---|---|
| More workers for farms, factories and building | Overcrowded schools, hospitals and housing |
| New skills and new businesses | More pressure on land, water and food |
| More trade and more taxes paid | More competition for jobs |
| Sharing of cultures, foods and languages | Crowded, unplanned settlements in some towns |
| Tension, if newcomers are not welcomed |
| Positive effects | Negative effects |
|---|---|
| Less pressure on land | Loss of young, strong workers |
| Migrants send money home to their families | Loss of skilled people such as doctors and teachers |
| Migrants bring back new ideas and skills | Families are separated; farms may be left without workers |
Refugees did not choose to leave. They need safety, food, shelter, schooling and kindness.
Rwanda knows this well. For many years, large numbers of Rwandans lived as refugees in neighbouring countries before they could come home. Today Rwanda also hosts refugees from neighbouring countries.
The East African Community (EAC) helps its citizens travel, trade and work in each other's countries. This makes migration safer and more orderly, and it brings the peoples of East Africa closer together.
Worked example
Is migration good or bad for Gatete's town?
Step 1 List the good effects: new shops, a tailor, more trade.
Step 2 List the bad effects: a crowded classroom.
Step 3 Suggest a fix for the bad effect: build more classrooms and train more teachers.
Step 4 Judge: with good planning, the town can keep the benefits and reduce the problems.
Tip
Every move has two sides
Always think about both places: the place people leave and the place they arrive in. Each one gains something and loses something.
Answer each one, then tap Show answer to check.
Give one positive effect of migration on the place people move to.
Answer: any one of: more workers, new skills and businesses, more trade and taxes, sharing of cultures.
Give one negative effect of migration on the place people leave.
Answer: any one of: loss of young workers, loss of skilled people, separated families, farms left without workers.
How can a town reduce overcrowding in schools when many families arrive?
Answer: build more classrooms and train and hire more teachers.
Why should we welcome refugees kindly?
Answer: they were forced to flee and need safety, food, shelter and schooling. Many Rwandans were once refugees too.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Many families move into a town. Which of these is a negative effect on that town?
