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Food for Work Appeal
Chronic food shortages in Kenya are threatening the lives of millions of people, including farmers working with Excellent Development on long-term water and food security projects.
Although communities who have sand dams already are better off than those without, the situation is still dire, and everyone is in need of urgent extra support. By raising funds to provide Food for Work, Excellent Development aims to support those who are vulnerable to continue their work towards food and water security. In the marginal agricultural areas where we work, in Eastern Province, farmers have not had decent harvests for at least four seasons, since early 2007. Rain has been very scant and irregular, not at all sufficient to germinate and grow crops to maturity. Peter Wambua, Chairman of the Masevero Self-Help Group in Kibwezi told us: “We got our last rains two years ago. Since then we have had tiny amounts. We have not had food from our harvests since 2007. There is no food available unless we buy it. Most people are looking for casual work to get money, but there is very little work available. The government is providing relief of one kilogram of maize a month per family, which provides one meal." Monica Masa, a member of the Masevero group, adds “We have not harvested anything since 2007. My maize failed altogether all this year but I may get some Dolichos. We cannot find wild fruits or greens as there was no rain. I am 44 years old and this is the worst drought I have seen in my lifetime.” Despite such a desperate situation, people still want and need to work on their water and food security projects, building sand dams, terracing land and planting trees to improve their environment and give themselves a more secure future. It is crucial that Excellent Development provide the support needed to enable them to continue their work in this challenging time. Help provide food by making a donation here. Peter Wambua, Chairman of the Masevero Self-Help Group, explains “We want to make more sand dams, as they keep water in drought situations. We are relying more and more on our sand dams for water. The rains are becoming more and more unreliable, and we have to find ways to save it when it falls and get it to our villages by pipes. "The Food for Work program will give people time to stay near home and do these long-term projects of ours, more sand dams and pipelines. Right now people are either going to look for work and money, or they are too exhausted and hungry to do anything.” Excellent Development needs to raise £273,000 to support the famers until the next harvest in August. The Mennonite Central Committee and Canadian Food Grains Bank is seeking to meet around half the budget, with Excellent UK seeking to raise £160,000. Click here to donate Food for Work Excellent Development Kenya's senior sand dam engineer told us: “I work with the community groups that are building sand dams and pipelines. The drought is very serious. People have no food. They do not even have enough food to cook at the work sites. They have no energy and the work is going very slowly. There was no harvest last year and people have very little expectation for harvest this year. If we could get food for work this would assist our group members to accomplish their community work in doing more sand dams and pipe lines and helping them dig their terraces and holes for trees so that when the rains come they will be ready. They are working so hard.” By improving their water and food supply people can build sustainability and lower their dependence on intermittent aid handouts. Just £20 will provide enough food for one person for four months. Please support them today so they can break free of the cycle of drought in the future.
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