Number of application: 2103
Project title: Food for life (as global grant named Maseno Food for life) Rotary club Sweden: Stockholm City RC
Rotary club Kenya: Maseno RC Project start: Dec 2021 Project end: March 2023
Contribution from U- fonden: 35 000 SEK
Malnutrition among children below five years is very high in villages in western Kenya. During 2021 we started a pilot project, with support from U- fonden, in two villages, Ebulonga in Vihiga district and Kanyumba in Siaya district. The malnutrition rate among children below five years was 90 %. We identified 38 families with the highest need for support and implemented improved agriculture and healthcare. The harvests increased eight times and children grew out of malnutrition.
Many other villages asked for similar support.
This is why we decided to increase the work by applying for a Global grant, now focusing on 150 families with malnourished children. 75 % of the families are headed by a single mother or grandmother, 7 % are child headed.
The farms are small, ¼-1 acre, with low soil fertility and lack of nutritious crops.
We started with 100 families during 2022 and added another 50 families in Nov 2022.
The project is multisectoral to improve agriculture, nutrition, and health in a coordinative way.
Agriculture:
The families got high quality seeds: maize, beans (for protein), groundnuts (for protein and fat), sweet potatoes,” the golden crop” (for vitamin A to increase immune defence) and indigenous vegetables for iron (to prevent anaemia), zinc and magnesium. They also got drought resistant crops like cassava, sorghum, millet, and trees against soil erosion. To increase soil fertility, they got nitrogen fixing shrubs (calliandra, brachiaria), that bind nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the soil and reduce carbon dioxide emission. The leaves can be used as fodder and top dressing and the stems as firewood. Families are trained to make composts and they can use animal droppings as manure. They are trained in intercropping of maize and beans for increased soil fertility.
They set up seed banks and cassava and sweet potatoes can be multiplied through vines and stems.
The only thing they need to buy is hybrid maize(sterile) and chemical fertilizers, which may be reduced through increased use of nitrogen fixing shrubs, compost, and manure.
The farming is environmentally friendly though the shallow land preparation, use of nitrogen fixing shrubs, compost, and manure to reduce chemical fertilizers, which are also distributed with micro dosage technique.
The biodiversity is favoured through the indigenous vegetables and trees.
Dairy goats:
Twenty families got a dairy goat of race Alpine, that was mated in June and kidded in December. This is when the milk production starts- they get 1-4 l milk/day. Both villages got a buck for breeding. The goats are vaccinated and registered for further breeding and marketing. The first kid will be passed on to other target families, then they may sell following kids through Diary Goat Association of Kenya. The goats are high in demand, both in Kenya, also in Uganda and Burundi. The bucks can upgrade the local goats, so that does may produce milk after three generations. In each village we trained a goat coordinator with responsibility for coordinated vaccinations, deworming, health examinations and breeding.
Poultry:
Every family got two hens and one cockerel of hybrid race Kenbro, that get more and bigger eggs and chicken. Some set up chicken farms and an egg incubator was hired to increase the number of chickens. Families get daily eggs, one per hen, for food or hatching, and get a surplus for sale.
Health:
All the leaders and families got training in agriculture, nutrition, and health.
Collaboration with Maseno hospital: a nurse joined the team for outreach health examinations, vaccinations, deworming and HIV testing/ treatment of children and parents. All the children got mosquito nets. Sick children were taken to hospital for treatment.
Trainings:
There have been two kinds of education- group and on spot. Group trainings quarterly by
Dr Alex Omwela, MoA (Ministry of Agriculture). The participants learnt about soil enrichment, environment, nutritious crops, drought resistant crops, trees, biodiversity, goat, and poultry care and building of goat pens– see attachment.
and Roselyne Wekesa, Community health nurse/nutritionist, MoH (Ministry of Health) for families and leaders. The participants learnt how to prevent diseases through good nutrition, hygiene, safe water, vaccinations, mosquito nets, danger signs when children should be brought to hospital, family planning/child spacing- see attachment
On spot trainings were continuously held by the coordinators, village leaders and community health volunteers to make sure that the education was well understood and used in practice through increased knowledge and skills.
The work has directly improved life for 150 children, and indirectly all family members of the homestead (around 12 people/homestead) = 1 800 people. The improvements will gradually diffuse to other villagers through seedbanks and upgrading of local livestock.
The work has had a positive environmental impact through nitrogen fixing shrubs, compost, and manure to reduce use of chemical fertilizers, that are also distributed with micro dose technique. Trees have reduced soil erosion. The nitrogen fixing shrubs are also reducing carbon dioxide emission. Water supply through rain, no irrigation to deplete ground water.
The diversity of crops, indigenous vegetables and trees favour biodiversity.
The harvests have increased 3-4 times.
All the twenty female goats kidded in Nov- Dec and the kids will be passed on to the second line target families in April, after adequate preparations. The milk has been given to the target children, but also to other malnourished children.
All 150 target families have received hybrid poultry- two hens and one cockerel- and get one egg/hen daily. They are free ranging, why they also upgrade the neighbours’ hens to give more and bigger eggs and chickens. They have started chicken farms and also hired an egg incubator for more chickens.
Families got nutritious crops- hybrid maize, beans and groundnuts for protein, sweet potatoes and pumpkins for vitamin A, vegetables for iron, zinc, and magnesium.
They got training in breast feeding and complementary food for children, how to compose a meal with available food, number of meals, how to share food in family, how to preserve food.
Children´s health
The malnutrition has decreased.
Children got increased immune defence to resist infectious diseases. No children died.
Totally the malnutrition rate decreased from 100 % to 7 %.
On this “master chart” you may see all the target children below the “road to health”, “barabara ya afia” (swahili) = malnourished before the start of the project, identified during 2021, every child as a red dot.
After the project, March 2023, you may see almost all the target children moved into the
“road to health”, every child as a green dot.
34/100 children are now older than 5 years, thus grown out of “danger age”.
During my field visit I examined the target children. They all had clinic cards with date of birth, dates of vaccinations and weight monitoring at the “road to health”. They were fully vaccinated, even malaria (pilot project in Kenya). They were clean without skin problems. Teeth without obvious caries.
I found no children with wasting (acute malnutrition), anaemia, jaundice, oedema(swelling), enlarged lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen.
Three children had other diseases: microcephalia (small head), hydrocephalus (big head), epilepsy.
Through trainings people got increased knowledge and skills, that is spreading through strategy of multiplication.
They got training and awareness of human/children´s rights.
Through prenatal clinics women are HIV tested, get free family planning, awareness of child spacing/limit number of children. They also get free mosquito nets.
Starting of table banking/village banks to enable micro loans for small business, like chicken- and goat- farms, hiring of land to increase harvests- e g sweet potatoes for sale.
Increased school attendance.
Decreased migration of youth to slum areas of cities. Income to families.
Awareness of human rights.
Increased collaboration between villagers, like hiring of land, setting up chicken- and goat farms, HIV support groups, start of village banks/table banking to offer micro loans for small business.
Collaborating organizations
Emulua Child Development Project, a Community Based Organization
Director Abigael Asigi is our Kenyan project leader, with a bachelor’s degree of social work. She is planning work and budget, heading the field work and trainings. She is sending monthly reports and collecting data of harvests and child monitoring. She is highly appreciated among the villagers and collaborating organisations. She has a broad network in schools, hospitals, churches, and health workers, that gives her a true picture of upcoming problems in the community. She has also been trained in human rights and is supporting children´s rights (through Erikshjalpen, the Swedish Children´s Rights Organization).
Deputy director of Emulua board, George Kweya, is the assistant project leader. He is actively taking part in the field work. In Vihiga he built two fishponds with 1 000 Tilapia and Catfish that eat mosquito larvae to reduce malaria transmission, give protein rich food for the children and a surplus for sale.
Secretary of Emulua board, Dorcas Ondiso, is active in chicken farming. She hired an incubator to increase number of chickens.
Treasurer of Emulua board, Celine Agutu, is our coordinator in Kakamega, a role model, very active in the families and farms. She is the goat coordinator in her district, and also coordinator of HIV support groups. Here she shows her twin kids.
She is reporting any problem to Abigael.
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock
Dr Alex Omwela, MoA, is working in close collaboration with Abigael and participating in fieldwork with trainings in agriculture, advising in suitable fertilizers and nutritious crops. He is also selecting best dairy goats and hybrid poultry and training in goat- and poultry care. As a director of Kisumu branch of Dairy goat association of Kenya, he will also secure continued health and breeding of the goats. The dairy goats are in high demand, not only in Kenya but also in Uganda and Burundi
Ministry of Health
Roselyne Wekesa, enrolled community health nurse, is also working in close collaboration with Abigael through trainings and health examinations of our target children. She has arranged outreach fully vaccinations (including malaria- pilot project in Kenya), deworming, monitoring, HIV testing and treatments of children and parents.
Maseno Rotary club
President Alex Omwela is responsible for the agricultural component- see above.
Treasurer Chris Mabwa is responsible for financial management and reports.
Treasurer Chris Mabwa, Celine Agutu and Primary project contact Tom Amakoye with children in front of maize field in Vihiga.
George Kweya, Roselyne Wekesa and Celine Agutu have taken active part in the work- see above.
All club members have supported the project, including Rotaractors from Maseno university, also participating in field visits including Rotary campaigns as Polio.
Positive
Good collaboration with Maseno Rotary club. We could agree on necessary adjustments of budget due to increased prices (fuel, agricultural products) after war of Ukraine, February 2022. We moved budget from management, monitoring, and contingency to activities.
Encouragement from Swedish Rotary development fund, that donated 35 000SEK. Encouragement from Goleta Noontime RC, California, that donated 3 000 USD.
We had twenty-one zoom meetings, five with Maseno RC, to discuss the work and agree on way forward.
Fruitful field visit by project leader in December 2022.
Negative
Low interest for participation/sponsoring of other Rotary clubs.
Zoom meetings with Maseno had technical problems due to power failure in Kenya. One member of Stockholm City RC has actively opposed the project.
Time consuming bureaucracy that has delayed the fieldwork, e g waiting for five months to get complete authorizations of the Global grant application.
Assistant project leader Per Smeds was removed from the project committee by TRF when he moved to another Rotary club. Thus, he could not actively participate in activities and reports through My Rotary.
Stockholm City RC
Project committee: Charlotte Almkvist, primary contact/project leader, Per Smeds, ass project leader, Britt-Marie Bertilsson, chair, Christian Juul, treasurer and Fredrik Lindgren, a pediatrician.
In the Kenya group also Agneta Söderlund, immediate past president, Margareta Redlund, journalist, Gunilla Berglind, members of Stockholm City RC and Jeanine Liebrecht, member of Stockholm Sergel RC.
Maseno RC
Project committee: Tom Amakoye, primary contact, Dr Alex Omwela, president, Chris Mabwe, treasurer, Samuel Njuguna, immediate past president, Roselyne Wekesa, nurse/ nutritionist, Dommy Adhiambo, president Rotaract Maseno university.
During the year the Kenya group has had twenty-one zoom meetings, five of them including Maseno RC to discuss the work and agree upon the way forward.
The project leader has had seven presentations of the project at other Rotary clubs, and two zoom seminars (Empowerment of women and Peace).
Margareta Redlund has written articles in the club´s newsletter and one article in Rotary Norden newspaper.
Adlan Elmurzaev, president, has published the monthly reports in the club´s newspaper. Anders Möllander has encouraged the project and written supportive letters.
Jeanine Liebrecht has contributed with a donation from Gustav Rudberg foundation. We appreciate the generous donation from Goleta noontime RC, California.
Investment in small scale farmers will combat hunger and malnutrition. They may adapt to climate change through diversity of plant species and reforestation.
Farming of food crops gives food that is available where it is most needed and a surplus for sale at local markets.
Children grew out of malnutrition and got improved health and increased school attendance.
Women provide families with food from diversified cultivation of maize, beans, groundnuts, millet/sorghum, vegetables, tubers, fruits, and herbs, as well as from rearing of small livestock.
Spread of new knowledge and skills in agriculture and health through trainers of trainers, theory of multiplication.
Seedbanks for vegetables, calliandra, pumpkins, beans, ground nuts. Sweet potatoe vines and cassava stems can be devided.
Nitrogen fixing shrubs, compost, and manure to increase soil fertility and reduce chemical fertilizers.
Sale of surplus of agri products to get income to buy hybrid maize seeds and fertilizers. Setting up table banking/village banks to offer micro loan for small businesses.
Breeding of chicken and dairy goats. Upgrading of local livestock. The work makes people independent to take charge of their lives.
For more details see Abigael´s monthly reports, that has continuously been sent, and my field report- see attachment.
The work will continue- from April 2023 we will start up two new villages in Vihiga and Siaya with a three-year budget from Alba Care, family Einhorn foundation and Läkarmissionen.
Alex Omwela, MoA and Roselyne Wekesa, MoH will continue as trainers.
Our Kenyan coordinators, Abigael and Celine, belong to the same tribes as our farmers, luya and luo, to understand their culture and language.
There has been a close collaboration with the ministries of agriculture and health, to follow national guidelines and secure sustainability.
Our Kenyan collaborators have been very active, also taking own initiatives to add value- like building of fishponds and hiring of egg incubator.
The project is planned together with the target families to give them influence, participation and responsibility. We use a “bottom- up” approach.
The harvests increased 3-4 times.
The children grew out of malnutrition and got healthy. No-one died. Availability of medicines and vaccines during the project period.
Most villages can avail protected springs for safe water. The families got income and are now more self-sufficient.
The work has spread to other villages: During 2022 we weighed the target children from the pilot project 2021 to see that the malnutrition rate is still low- but also, we weighed the non-targeted malnourished children and found that even those children had grown out of malnutrition. The explanation was that the families who got our inputs shared with the families who didn´t get- like trainings, vaccinations, HIV testing/treatment, crops from seed banks and vines of sweet potatoes, eggs/chicken, and goat milk. This shows that our inputs benefit more children than the directly targeted.
No corruption encountered.
The economy was suffering from the global crises after onset of the war of Ukraine, Feb 2022, causing prices to increase, especially fuel and agricultural products.
Climate change caused heavy rains with hailstorms during Nov and drought during Dec-Feb. Beans, Calliandra and moringa were destroyed and harvests of maize, cassava and groundnuts were decreased.
Muddy roads to the remote villages in Kakamega were flooded at times, and transport got challenging.
Stockholm 2023-03-31
Dr Charlotte Almkvist Adlan Elmurzaev
GP, project leader President Stockholm City RK