Dateline ACT

Kenya 0706

Food and grace help people survive during drought

By Evans McGowan, ACT International

Machakos region, Kenya, June 15, 2006--Agnes Katile had never seen so much maize in her life. After months without rain and not knowing how to feed her four children, she received 74 kilograms of maize through a relief program coordinated by Church World Service (CWS), a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, and its local partner, the Africa Brotherhood Church (ABC).

The Katile family is one of more than 500 drought-affected families who received maize in late March to sustain them through the planting season. Communities hit by the drought selected the families to receive assistance, considering especially the most vulnerable - single-headed households, the elderly, orphans and handicapped people.

With assistance from CWS-ACT and ABC, farmers can now sustain themselves and keep their children in school until the crops are ready to be harvested. The farmers also received cassava, a root vegetable that is very hardy in a dry climate, cowpeas and sweet potato seeds. The rains have finally come to the Machakos region, an hour’s drive east of Nairobi. However, the farmers don’t expect to harvest until July.

Although Machakos is known for having fertile land, heavy deforestation and climate changes have led to soil erosion that severely decreases crop production.

When the rains start falling in March until the ground dries in August, Agnes is able to fetch water from the river about half a kilometer from her home. During the dry season, however, she must walk 10 kilometers to the local town to obtain water. More than 20 years ago, an earthen dam was built to retain water. Now, soil run-off has completely filled the dam, and some farmers have even begun planting where the dam once lay. A well has been dug to access what little water can be found below the surface. CWS emergency relief consultant Sam Mutua has suggested de-silting the dam and building a subsurface dam farther upstream to catch the silt and create a long-term solution to the ongoing challenge of having a water supply.

Agnes received some assistance from the government in February – seven kilos of maize and enough seed to plant two rows of maize – but it was not enough. By assisting the most impoverished, CWS-ACT hopes to lift up the entire community and not let the most vulnerable people suffer unnecessarily.

Agnes has four children. Her oldest son, Videlis Mambo, is in Form 2 (the second year of secondary school). She has three other children who are all attending school: Kilonzo (13), Mercy (9) and Kamanthe (7). With only 1.5 acres to farm, a good harvest will bring a maximum of four bags of maize, too little to sell, and which will provide the family with only six months of sustenance. To support themselves when the maize is gone, the family cuts sisal to weave strands and sell as rope. They also cut trees to make charcoal, but there are too few trees remaining to continue doing this.

In Agnes’ community, individuals survive by the grace of others. Despite her vulnerable position, Agnes has shared what little she has with her neighbors. She feels compelled to continue sharing the grace she first received in the assistance from CWS while hoping and praying the rains will last and bring a substantial harvest.

Evans McGowan is working at the Church World Service East Africa Regional Office as a volunteer through the Presbyterian Church (USA) Young Adult Volunteer Program. Both Church World Service and the Presbyterian Church (USA) (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance) are members of ACT International.