| |  | Kenya feeling drought impact | Kenya's Rift Valley Province is facing its most severe drought in a decade, with it estimated that grain yields could be down by as much as 28%, this year.
And unless the seasonal rains arrive in October and November the situation for regions of the country could be 'catastrophic', Prime Minister Raila Odinga has warned. The United Nations World Food Programme recently said that nearly four million Kenyans — about a tenth of the population — urgently needed food.
The introduction of drip irrigation systems, promotion of drought tolerant crops, support for crop diversification, and other activities had eased the burden for some, but not all, said Self Help Africa's country director Duncan Ochieng Onduu. |
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|  | Rehabilitated animal dip is re-opened | Extensive refurbishments to a community owned livestock dip were completed in the Ngeteti area of Gilgil recently, with the formal re-opening of a facility that had fallen into disrepair.
Ngeteti Public Cattle Dip was constructed in the 1950s by a white settler who was the former owner of Ngeteti farm. The community members who bought the land from the settler started managing the dip until 2007 when the facility fell into disuse.
Following the renovation works facilitated by Self Help Africa (SHA), the dip now serves the livestock of around 100 households living within the local catchment. |
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| | Sunflower seed sale | Self Help Africa has assisted a group of farm families producing sunflowers to access a valuable new market for their produce.
Four farmers associations based in the Gilgil Project area have been supported in negotiations to sell their sunflower seed, under a deal that they have signed with the country's Bidco Oil Refinery company.
Bidco are one of the largest producers and distributors of edible oil and hygiene products, including soap, in East and Central Africa.
Elsewhere in the Gilgil project area a further 116 farmers were supported to begin producing sunflowers, during the second half of 2008. |
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| Tree planting programme | Eight local community groups have been formed and received training in a programme of natural resource management, following the creation of eight communal tree nursery groups in areas of the Gilgil project.
Elsewhere, a total of 14,000 tree seedlings were planted on the lands of local schools, while representatives of 13 schools received training in tree nursery maintenance and management, while an additional 3,258 fruit tree saplings were distributed to farmers across the project area. |
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|  | Bulking programme pays off | The establishment last year of a bulking programme for sweet potatoes has paid off, with more than 220 farm families accessing vines and beginning to produce sweet potatoes themselves, during 2008.
Sweet potatoes are a valuable staple in many parts of Kenya, and there is considerable market demand, and marketing potential for the crop across the Rift Valley Province. |
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|  | Bulking programme pays off | The establishment last year of a bulking programme for sweet potatoes has paid off, with more than 220 farm families accessing vines and beginning to produce sweet potatoes themselves, during 2008.
Sweet potatoes are a valuable staple in many parts of Kenya, and there is considerable market demand, and marketing potential for the crop across the Rift Valley Province. |
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| | Kenya Annual Report 2008 | | Download a copy of the 2008 Annual Report of Self Help Africa-Kenya here. | | | |
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| New water supply for Mitimingi | The construction of a borehole, to provide clean water to more than 11,000 people living in the Kiptanwanyi district of Mitimingi is well underway, and is scheduled for completion in 2009.
Alongside work on the drilling of the actual well, on a site selected following an hydrological survey of the area, the project will provide a pumping system and network of reservoir tanks to distribute clean water across a wide area of Mitimingi. The project is being supported with funding support provided by the Irish NGO Gorta.
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| | Support for localising Millennium Goals
| Self Help Africa is involved in a programme to localise the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) amongst the rural poor in Kenya, under a programme that is being supported by the United Nations.
UNDP are backing the project, under which Self Help Africa is engaging with local communities and sensitising them on the aims and objectives of the MDGs.
The project will also support local community mobilisation, the facilitation of meetings, donor liaison, and advocacy work amongst local communities. |
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|  |  | One of the drip irrigation units in operation |
| Drip irrigation scheme launched | Australia's High Commissioner to Kenya was amongst the guests at the formal launch of Self Help Africa's new drip irrigation initiative.
The project, which received €33,000 in funding support from Aus Aid, has been supporting small-scale farmers in Gilgil area to become involved in irrigated horticultural activities.
Close to 20,000 farmers are set to take part in the project, which will allow them to produce onions and other market orientated vegetables using available water in a highly efficient way. | | | Sunflower production | Self Help Africa has assisted a group of farm families producing sunflowers to access a valuable new market for their produce.
Four farmers associations based in the Gilgil Project area have been supported in negotiations to sell their sunflower seed, under a deal that they have signed with the country's Bidco Oil Refinery company.
Bidco are one of the largest producers and distributors of edible oil and hygiene products, including soap, in East and Central Africa.
Elsewhere in the Gilgil project area a further 116 farmers were supported to begin producing sunflowers, during the second half of 2008. |
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| News from our African programmes : | | | | | | | |
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| Safety nets for people with HIV | Self Help Africa is being supported in Kenya by the US-based Family Health International (FHI) organisation with a programme to strengthen the livelihoods of vulnerable households in Nakuru, Njoro and Naivasha districts. The organisation is to receive more than $US 140,000 from FHI over a two years period, to support a programme of works including farmer training, promotion of drought resistant crops, goat rearing, beekeeping, and other activities.
The primary focus of the project is to strengthen the safety nets of food and livelihood security of individuals and families made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS in Kenya. |
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| | | Self Help Africa - Ireland
Annefield House,Dublin Road,
Portlaoise, Co. Laois, Ireland
Tel. +353 (0) 578694034 |
| Self Help Africa - UK
Second Floor, Westgate House,Dickens Court,
Hills Lane, Shrewsbury, SY1 1QU
Tel. +44 (0) 1743 277170 |
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| | Self Help Africa is an international charity registered in Ireland and the United Kingdom Registered charity number : 6663 (Ireland), and 298830 (UK) | | | Powered by go2web
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