Kitale Shalom Farm

Background

Kitale is an agricultural town in western Kenya at an elevation of 7.000,00 feet (2130 m).

Kipsongo, situated 2 kilometres away from the centre of Kitale, is one of the largest slums in Kenya. The first settlements of the slum date back to 1972 and they have continued to expand for the following 36 years.  The slum lies on a 5 acre plot of land which was initially used as a dumping site by the Kitale Municipal Council. The first settlers of this slum were the Turkana people, a Kenyan tribe, the second largest pastoralist community in Kenya after the Maasai. In the early 70’s, some of them moved south to Kitale, looking for food due to a prolonged drought that killed their cattle followed by a severe famine. At present 2,000 out of the 4,000 people  living in Kipsongo are Turkana. 

Kitale, like other regions in Kenya, has suffered from political destabilization. This is linked to land property issues and tribal conflicts. Hundreds of people have been killed as a result of Kenya’s post-election riots in January 2008, the worst tribal conflict in 15 years. Some 20,000 IDP’s found temporary shelter in Kitale and have not been settled up until today, so many of them are now living in Kipsongo. Most of their children come to the Sisters of the Good Shepherd Day Care Centre not only to receive education and but especially for the feeding program. 

Problem

In Kipsongo the people endure severe living conditions, the main causes being: 

• Deplorable sanitary conditions: Lack of clean water for drinking, bathing and cooking, lack of reasonable housing to allow them to experience security and more stabilization;
• Lack of Healthcare Facilities: High incidence of HIV/AIDS, malaria, airborne diseases and jigger menace;
• Local surveys show that Kipsongo slum has the highest crime rate in the whole of the area. 

Other factors that make the problem more acute are:

• The majority of the population is unemployed. Among those who try to earn a living, many are involved in unlawful income generating activities such as illicit local brewing, prostitution or begging.
• Cultural aspects: The Turkana culture accepts and even encourages polygamy as it is viewed as part of their nomadic lifestyle. This is untenable now that they have settled in the slum.
• Women are impregnated by many different men. So they often become single parents without financial or other resources to provide for their children and take them to school
• Malnutrition among the children is rampant in the slum of Kitale, as the mothers cannot afford to buy food from the wholesalers.
• The fertile lands in the area are unevenly distributed and therefore owned by a few people who sell their produce/products to wholesalers. 

Objective

The Shalom Farm Project will be established in a 10 acres (4,05 hectares) land, not far from the centre of Kitale in a very rich agricultural site. The project intends to address the urgent needs of the women and the children of the Kipsongo slum through a multipurpose program including:

• A Crisis Centre accommodating up to 20 particularly vulnerable women and children from the slum (single pregnant girls, women and children in HIV/AIDS) offering them accommodation, social and psychological support, medical and legal counselling;
• A Training Centre offering vocational training for the girls of the crisis centre and another 50 to 100 women from the slum on farming methods;
• An income generating farming program offering them a stable source of income;
• A Food Program: the produce of the farm will be used to support the Day Care Centre run by the Sisters in the slum providing daily meals to an average of 150 children; part of the land will be used for needs of the Sisters, the women and the children taking part in the project.
• Awareness raising programs for men and women from the slums on healthcare, disease prevention (i.e. HIV/AIDS, malaria, airborne disease), human rights, rights of women and children.
• Marketing and sale of the local products: vegetables, cereals milk, eggs. The products should be of high quality, affordable to the customers, consistent in the market. 

Activities

• Training on farming methods: experts will come to give advice on the timely methods of planting, harvesting and storage of the produce. Sessions for conflict management and peace building especially for IDPs will be organised.
• Farming: cultivation of the ten acres of land. Many processes will be set up throughout the year including planting, weeding, harvesting.
• Cattle keeping: this includes building the cow shed, buying and putting in all the necessary equipments (electricity, water, etc.) and the hygienic standards needed; then, purchasing five young cows in calf so that the women and children can quickly benefit from cows milk.
• Poultry rearing: a service training will be given  to the women on a weekly basis for one month on how to take care of the chickens During this time, the construction of the poultry house will be in process with the necessary equipping of the facility for three hundreds chicks.
• Purchase of some transportation vehicles to transport and supply the produce to Kitale and other surrounding towns and villages.
• Personal and communal formation and Development: There will be a weekly meeting with a facilitator to help the women address and resolve the many issues that affect them in the slum such as health, hygiene, family life, good nutrition, self confidence and self respect. 

Expected outcomes

• To enable women grow in self-esteem, dignity and self-worth.
• To offer an alternative to women from having to beg in the streets.
• To become entrepreneurial and develop skills to help with the building up of their community.
• To ensure that they will have enough food for their families.
• To ensure that they will have a surplus to sell so that the money can be used for their children’s education and obtaining other necessary commodities for their family. 

Progress/Result

According to the strategic and business plan formulated with our consultants the farming project is expected to start generating small profits after the 5th year. These profits will be used to pay for part of the running costs of the training and crisis centre.