SRA in Kenya

In July, members of the organization Self Reliant Agriculture (SRA) visited Mnyenzeni, Kenya to continue work on the partnership between SRA and Koins.  The following is an excerpt from the SRA blog detailing that visit.

SRA Farm in Malawi

Seeing elephants and giraffes in a zoo will never be the same for Dr. Paul Johnston and Tom Rasmussen.  After witnessing large numbers of them stride across the African bush, the two men felt dwarfed in their presence, and outsmarted as baboons jumped through Dr. Johnston’s window, quickly snatched his candy, and were out again before he had time to react.  Such are the happenings at Tsavo Game Reserve in Kenya where Mr. Rasmussen and Dr. Johnston were privileged to observe over twenty-five different wild species on their overnight adventure.

Except for the two day safari, the rest of their three week journey was spent in Ghana, Malawi, and Kenya developing new relationships and rekindling old ones so that SRA could be effective in applying its small-scale agriculture model among the rural families.  In all three countries, doors opened as interested and eager universities sought to partner with SRA.  Various universities want to take on the SRA approach that combines proper nutritional diets with appropriate crop plantation.  Due to the severe economic stress in which these people live, all of the problems cannot be solved at once; however, some steps can be taken immediately to suffice some of their most critical needs while others are soon to follow.

In Kenya, one of SRA’s partnering NGO’s, Koins for Kenya, has helped build schools for over six thousand elementary age children.  Many of these children walk barefoot a mile or more each day to receive instruction in classrooms without electricity and alongside more than one hundred other children.  These children  do this on a diet that consists almost entirely of corn, which is usually only enough to satisfy about thirty percent of their daily nutritional requirements.  Without adequate calcium, iron, or essential vitamin supplements, malnutrition is widespread.  Consistent iron deprivation in young children can adversely affect their cognitive development, which is irreversible.  Additional similar and serious problems occur with other deficiencies.

SRA will be partnering with Koins for Kenya, receiving educational resources from Pwani University in Kenya, and aided financially from another humanitarian NGO.  Thousands of families in this area of Kenya will be assisted in the development of family gardens and additional projects that will address their most critical nutritional needs.  Water collection and retention, more efficient and healthy stoves for cooking, and numerous other improvements will be initiated in these villages.  Small animals, including dairy goats, will be introduced as soon as possible to round out the nutritional needs of the families.

Similar interest and enthusiasm among governmental and educational leaders was also found in Ghana and Malawi.  Projects will be organized in those countries as funding becomes available.  In the meantime, the universities have expressed a desire to teach the SRA nutrition course and small-scale farming course as part of their curriculum.  These universities have installed a demonstration farm on their respective campuses for research, and as a model for others to emulate.
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Representatives from SRA have again come to Mnyenzeni, this time to oversee the progress of the Koins farm and the acquiring of milk goats.  I had a brief phone conversation with Bret today regarding the various projects that are being worked on, and Mnyenzeni is a beehive of activity, with people going in many directions as several big projects are coming to fruition.  I look forward to sharing his journal with details of these activities, as well as photos.  Big things are happening in Kenya!

Asante sana!

IVL