CBM Food Relief

Canadian Baptist Ministries

2012 Food for Work Projects, NEP, Kenya

In January of this year, our CBM NEP team initiated food for work projects in four vulnerable villages within Garissa District as part of CBM's drought response program in Kenya. These projects are apart of our strategic effort to help drought vulnerable and food insecure communities to recover from the impact of this past year's drought and famine that devastated the livelihoods of nearly 4 million people in the horn of Africa this past year.

We are using "food for work" projects to provide weekly rations to impoverished families and to help them establish fruit trees and effective farming along the Tana River. This effort is being carried out in cooperation with the local Government and the Kenyan Red Cross that is committed to helping families move from harmful open grazing of cattle, goats and camels to sustainable agriculture. We are excited to see food for work projects prepare the way for conservation agriculture training that we are already preparing for with the Garissa Pastor's Fellowship and the Farming God's Way approach to semi arid farming.

Clearing the stubborn mathenge thorn bush

from sections of the flood plain

Community members preparing new farm land

for crops and tree planting

Lunch Time in Bula Pamoja

Volunteers in the Bula Pamoja village preparing meals for 65 children in their daily feeding program. As part of the relief efforts, our team mates Yattani and William have been working with the District Officer in peace and reconciliation in the community of Bula Bhakari. This last month, they helped resolve a long standing land-dispute in the community between the local Somali clan and the Waliwana people. The result was the birth of Bula Pamoja (In Kiswahili it means "The Village Together"). Along with mobilizing the community members to build roads and open up farm land, the CBM project has come along side the village in building their first permanent structure - an early childhood education house for the 65 young children living in the village of traditional tents and shelters.

Each day, as the community works on strengthening their village, the children meet for lessons and healthy lunch of beans, rice, local fruits and vegetables. The project is helping these children have access to the local medical clinic, and improve their lives in simple but vital ways. We believe that the good news of our faith must be demonstrated, and it is exciting to see the Christian communions in this area sharing this same vision for living out our faith!

Waliwana and Somali children accessing early childhood education, medical attention, and daily meals in Bula Pamoja.

Please continue to pray for this ministry and for the community leaders and volunteers who are working hand in hand with our Christian brothers and sisters. We pray that through this ministry that dividing walls of mistrust and misunderstanding will come down.

lunch time at the early childhood school

Volunteers at CBM's Bula Iftin Food for Work Project weighing weekly supplementary food rations for the participants in their farm clearing project.