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Weaving a bread basket in Garissa
aize is one of the most common agricultural crops in Kenya, yet remains relatively unknown in certain areas.
to drink. “It was a time like this, just after Ramadhan. We said amongst ourselves, there is water here, maybe we can start something,” she said.
A story is told in North Eastern Kenya, about a new immigrant who planted maize in his piece of land as neighbors curiously watched. The neighbors, decided: ‘we will wait and see what sprouts.’ One dark night, they invaded the farm cutting off all tassels. They believed they were harvesting the ‘fruits’ of the strange plant.
Although, the river banks burst and destroyed their crop, they were determined to go on. “Since it had happened and we lost our crop, we would believe God and start over,” Mama Khadija said. According to the Agriculture officer, the five farming groups start their day at the farms by 6 am.
Another follows that a group of herders drove their animals straight into a banana plantation in a neighboring region. They got arrested, but they could not understand why. These two stories were narrated at Siqley irrigation farm, a Humedica International Aid funded project in which World Concern is partnering with the community in crop farming as an alternative form of livelihood. The latter story actually involved a new farmer at the project who was with his herd that fated day. In this region, farming has been enshrouded in mystery; but now a pastoral community that continues to receive relief food from aid agencies can finally see a connection between the maize flour they receive, and a growing maize stalk that bears the pounded grain. Before their partnership with World Concern, a few individuals in the community - although lacking in implements, expertise and necessary seeds - started to grow maize and cow peas along River Tana’s bank. Benefits of the partnership With this partnership they have received seeds, farming implements, a store and expertise through a government offi-
So far, banana buds, cow peas and maize have been planted on sections of the 8 acre land which is divided into four main farms. They are also preparing ground for water melons as tomatoes and onions sprout at the the nursery to be transplanted when ready.
Mama Khadija at her new vocation
cer training and supervising their activities. “They are working in groups and have committees. Every group is given an acre or two to work on, Agricultural Extension Officer Ibrahim said in an interview at the farm. “I do some demonstration for them like how to plant, spacing and the furrow method. Currently there are also farmers from the other farms to see what we are doing here,” said Ismail. Early farming adopters Mama Khadija, one of the early adopters of farming had just returned from Tharaka, Meru after a ravenous drought that wiped her herd, ended. Thirsty, she dashed to the river bank
Culture vs farming Aden Adow who also lost his family’s herd over the drought knew very little about farming. He wants to try all kinds of seeds, hoping to harvest enough to enable them to sell at the market. Although, it is cultural for women to stay at home as their husbands go to work, Adow’s wife is with him at the farm. “It’s interesting to see a Somali woman holding a jembe, not only holding it but also the passion she has.” remarked World Concern’s Garissa Projects Officer, Mutua. Mama Khadija seems to concur: “If its tractors, poles, seeds or advice, bring it, we need it all. Even if the water runs out, we are not leaving our farms,” she said, “I have God with me, and my eyes are open now. If I will still be alive, I think I will be very advanced in two years.”
The water fetching and class-time equation HASSAN IS A STANDARD 5 pupil at a primary school in Garissa. His class of 44 students, a third of whom are boys, collect water from a natural spring beneath a slope just behind their classroom. Year in, year out, the spring never dries up. Therefore it not only serves Hassan’s 571 schoolmates, but also the local town surrounding their school and displaced families in a settlement about 5 kilometres away, all of whom tramp into the school compound armed with jerricans, and march down the slope to collect water. On a specific day each week, Hassan’s class – just like other classes, will be allocated a section of school trees to water. They will also fetch some more water to drink, wash their classroom and attend to other cleaning, especially for those boarding inside the school who fetch more to do their laundry and wash. According to Hassan, each of his classmates draws at least 12 litres everyday. Once in a while they fall sick from
drinking the spring water, but they are used to it. His deputy head teacher Mr. Murimi is excited about a water catchment project through World Concern at the school. According to him, students like Hassan spend too much time at the spring in the pretext of fetching water. “It has been a problem for a long time, we used to send pupils to fetch water, they waste time,” he says. He however admits that water storage constraints contributes to delay. “They don’t have jerricans or large storing facilities, so every time water runs out, they have to go fetch.” With full tanks, such time will be utilized for learning or in sporting activities. A latrine block by the Organization will also help improve sanitation at the community. “Previously they used to go to the bush, (when rain falls) the water goes down the stream,” said Mr. Murimi.
Hassan (tallest) and some of his classmates
It could have been worse
saw him flee far away - he returned with only a camel and donkey. Yet with such a crippling loss, he does not regret migrating. If he stayed, it could have been worse, he says. The 84 year old settled back a year ago with groups of other displaced families at a settlement on the outskirts of Garissa.
Farah FARAH INITIALLY HAD 20 CAMELS, 50 goats and 3 donkeys. After a severe drought that
Farah is in praise of the World Concern food voucher system from which his two households have benefitted. “Even right now if you go to my house, you can find some,” he said in an interview. These displaced families together
with rhost families will also benefit from a water supply project rehabilitated by World Concern through financial support from Humedica International Aid. With the rehabilitation, 50 year old Bishare who is also a food and NFI beneficiary will not have to walk to the spring 3 kilometres away anymore. “The most severe problem we have here is water,” she said, adding that she sets off at 7am daily with two empty jerricans to get back after midday after which she begins to prepare lunch for her household.
Bishare SEE PHOTO OF REHABILITATED WATER SUPPLY TANK (No. 6) PAGE 4
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Tackling health and nutritional setbacks
rmed with Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) tapes, a weighing scale and height board on each of her visits, Roselyn carefully checks for malnutrition indicators in infants, as their mothers watch attentively. The Nutrition program sponsored by Humedica was a health and WASH emergency response whose goal was to provide life-saving curative and preventive healthcare, nutrition and water to drought affected communities in Garissa County. The Garissa office team leader believes the program was crucial because Garissa County’s Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates exceed 15%, a stipulated emergency threshold. It is through these outreaches that cases have been detected early to enable their management.
livelihood diversification to promote food security and also provide an alternative source of food. Through the support of Humedica, World Concern has supported groups of farmers in Siqley to promote livelihood diversification. Another way would be sensitizing women with behavior change communication to enable them utilize their little food appropriately to bring about balance, adequacy and appropriateness in their diet. Optimal breast-feeding and complementary feeding should also be emphasized through the behavior change communication.
“...we give them supplementary food, and after a month I see that child strong again, playing and smiling. I feel so happy...”
The Garissa team leader said that supply by government agencies involved few and basic drugs whose supply is carried out quarterly. “With our projects supplying, patients would be treated most of their ailments (at local health centres),” she said. Besides supplying essential drugs to four health facilities, the office was also able to conduct health outreach services to 18 communities who would have otherwise not managed to get to the health centres. During each of the 138 outreach visits, at least 40 patients were treated. To achieve this, a crucial role was played by six community health workers who had been trained to handle community mobilization, conduct health education & nutrition screening as well as referral of patients. According to Hassan, a resident, improving capacity at the local clinic has been useful. “Very essential drugs were not being provided and the community cannot afford them, World Concern has provided those drugs,” he said, “They have also minimized the work of nurses and workers here who are few (by providing outreach services).”
“When we go into a community, the children are so malnourished they are too weak to play. Then we give them supplementary food, and after a month I see that child strong again, playing and smiling. I feel so happy to see what we’ve done for that child,” Roselyn said. However, it has not all been rosy as Roselyn notes: There is a high defaulter rate due to pastoralist nature of the communities; excessive sharing of Ready to Use Supplementary Foods (RUSF) among children in the household postponing recovery and inadequate staff at government health facilities to undertake nutrition activities. According to her, long term nutritional solutions can be effectively addressed through
WHEN ASKED WHAT THE MOST essential aspect of Garissa office projects was, Roselyn immediately shot: water projects and supply of essential drugs.
Roselyn at work, measuring a child’s MUAC during an outreach visit
Roselyn remembers a measles outbreak in adults in several outreach villages. “People were on the verge of death,” she said, noting that in a certain household they visited, they saw an ailing man who had been left locked in a room; as if his family had given up on him. The team put infected people on drip and administered necessary drugs, monitoring their recovery on subsequent visits.
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1. Busy at work: a group of new farmers at new Irrigation farm 2. A group of NFI beneficiaries shares a light moment after receiving items 3. WC staff Mahmoud poses at signage leading to the farm 4. One of the hundreds of banana shoots transplanted recently 5. A pair of latrines constructed at a health centre in Garissa. Beside health centres, other community institutions benefiting from such latrines include schools and a religious institution 6. Water tank at primary school. Six tanks and gutters have been installed at the school. Similar project also at other schools and local clinics 7. Rehabilitated water tank which together with supply piping systems will serve residents and IDP settlement 3 Kilometres away 8. A student drinks untreated water collected from a pond at the natural water spring
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