Food Security in a Changing Climate

Support women in drought-stricken Kenya to establish an income, support their families, and improve their livelihoods.

What a difference working in a group can make…

Have you ever had the experience of thinking something is impossible, but then joining up with a group and finding you can not only achieve what you initially wanted, but much, much more? This is what happened to Catherine when she helped form the Ladies with Vision group in Eastern Kenya.

This is Catherine’s story.

“As a woman born here, in Kyunyu, and married in the neighbourhood I have seen a lot of the challenges and strengths of our community. Initially, our area was very dry, and water was a very scarce commodity. We used to walk long distances of up to 10 kilometres and spend a lot of time going to the Kikuu River to fetch water. Sometimes we even would go days without taking food because of the recurrent drought seasons in this area.

“Personally, I didn’t want to be associated with groups as I thought they were a waste of time. The local people didn’t know how to conserve the environment, get income from non-rain fed sources, or plant the right seeds and crops suitable for our area.”

When AID’s partner, ADSE, brought the Sustainable Livelihoods Project to Catherine’s community, the Ladies with Vision was formed, ready to make big changes in the lives of the women members and those of their families. The group put in a proposal to have a sump well-constructed next to the Kikuu River, which would pump water up to the marketplace where it could be easily accessed by many more people.

Two months later, the Kyunyu Solar-Powered Water Project had begun.

“During the construction period, we all provided unskilled labour like digging the pipeline trench, using locally available materials like sand, ballast, and water. I then participated in training on Village Savings and Loaning groups and immediately started growing my savings. Later we were also trained in income generating activities like soap-making, jewellery, serviette holders, poultry keeping and basket-making. We have also had other trainings – in good agricultural practices, how to establish kitchen gardens, climate smart agriculture technologies, and how to conserve soil and water. Our group is involved in all the decision-making too.”

“Our lives have greatly changed after ADSE interventions in Kyunyu, indeed in the whole of Kiangini location. The water project has increased water access in the area, and I now walk for less than 1km to get clean water. We can access credit amongst ourselves after saving in the VSL group. I have saved and borrowed enough to clear school fees for one of my sons in secondary school. And after several trainings in poultry keeping and management, I obtained a loan of KES5,800 to buy 60 starter chicks to start farming poultry. These chickens are now ready for the market. So far, I have sold 32 hens for 800 shillings each. I’ve used the income to buy feed for the remaining chicks, seeds to establish a kitchen garden, and I can now cater for our basic household needs. I planted sukumawiki (kale) in the kitchen garden, so we no longer go to the market to buy vegetables as they are now available at home.

“My social interaction with people has also improved, and I can now associate well with groups of people. Neighbours come to my home often to learn about poultry management skills and how to make poultry feeds.

“And when you look around you, you will see that our environment has a green vegetation cover because of tree planting we did during the rainy seasons”.

If you want to see more people and communities transformed like Catherine and the Ladies of Vision, please consider giving to this project.

We have committed to contribute $1 for every $5 we receive from the Australian Government. This means that every donation you make to this project will be combined with funding from the Australian Government to reach more people. Your donation will allow us to extend this program.