Success stories from Kenya

Ken and Teresa Mellish of New Perth, P.E.I. have visited Kenya since Farmers Helping Farmers was founded in 1981.

Here are three posts from them, from their most recent visits in January and February 2024, highlighting some of the success stories that they have seen during their latest trip.

How these Grade 8 graduates are inspiring hope in Kenya

These are some of the ten girls in the Grade 8 graduating class at Kamuketha Primary School

By Ken Mellish

We recently had the opportunity to visit the Kamuketha Primary school in Meru county, Kenya.

The school has been a partner with Farmers Helping Farmers for many years and is located in an area which has been hard hit by the recent drought. The rains have come back, and things are green, and the crops are growing, but there is yet no harvest of staple crops. Farmers Helping Farmers supports a feeding program at this school. When we were there, the school was closed for Christmas break but the morning porridge was still being served to fifty students who did not have food at home. Porridge, locally called “uji” is a liquid mix of sorghum, millet and maize flour with milk and water added. We joined them for a cup.

In addition to the younger children, there were eight girls who had recently graduated from grade eight at the school. This was a very moving moment for us. The class had twenty students, ten girls and ten boys. All had passed the national grade eight exam.

This is a great achievement from a school when we first visited them years ago was struggling to keep children in class and academic performance was weak. These girls were tall, healthy-looking and full of plans for high school and professional careers in the future.

We thought of the many things that FHF had contributed to their success. The Village Feast in Souris had provided money to build the cook house to cook two meals a day. Farmers Helping Farmers had put a garden in place to provide fresh vegetables every day.

FHF provided milk funded by the Holiday Campaign to improve the nutrition of the porridge every day. The added calcium, vitamins and protein from milk made a great contribution to the growth of these girls.

A huge contribution was made by FHF member Nancy Russell who built three new class rooms in memory of her son Callum. This gave them a pleasant well-lit place to study.

Many of their mothers are members of FHF partner women’s groups. At home, they would have had water from a FHF tank, meals cooked on a FHF stove and a solar-powered light to study by. Global Affairs Canada had contributed to this success through several cost-shared projects.

The staff at the school were present and their hard work and FHF staff had contributed to this successful graduating class. Seeing these girls we thought of our granddaughters who enjoy the support families can provide here in Canada. Through Farmers Helping Farmers, this support was shared and we took great pleasure in seeing this group of girls ready to make a contribution to the world.

A visit to the The Grace Sisters self help group in Meru County Kenya

By Ken Mellish

We had visited The Grace Sisters before, as they are one of Farmers Helping Farmers partner groups.

The Grace Sisters live in an area which is very productive when they get rain but they had experienced a three year stretch of poor rains when we visited them last. Rain had started about six weeks before we visited, and crops were starting to grow.

They survived because of two water lines, which bring water from high on Mount Kenya. These lines are limited and FHF had made it possible for them to maximize the use of the water. First, each of the members was given a 5,000 liter water tank to collect water at their houses. This collects roof water when it comes but can be used to store water from the intermitted supply from the water lines. Also, they were set up with irrigation for an acre of farm land to grow crops in the dry seasons.

Since we started to work with them they all have established grow bags to produce greens for their families. They had produced tree seedlings from a small nursery for their members. On the irrigated land, they had produced a crop of onions, and used the profits from these to produce a crop of potatoes.

The potato crop was reduced because of low water supply, but they had a crop to sell when there were no other local potatoes. As a result, the crop was profitable, and they replanted to onions.

We met with them at the Chairlady’s home. The first impression was the green vegetables at her home. They were producing enough for her family, and giving surplus to their neighbors. A big boost to vitamins and minerals in the diet.

We then sat down with the leaders of the group, and we were very impressed with their plans. They want to continue farming the irrigated land. They will work cooperatively, and this will bring them money to grow their group. They plan to buy a milking goat for each member to improve family nutrition.

They fed us a wonderful meal. It was rice, chicken, kale and cabbage, skillfully prepared.

Now they needed the food more than we did but it was paid for by potato money, and in Africa it is an honor to feed guests. We were also able to leave them a huge bag of vegetables gifted to us by the Kendi Geetu women.

They asked if we would help them to establish a catering business. We encouraged them, based on their cooking, and promised to put them in contact with The Destiney Women’s group which we work with and who are successful caterers.

I think we were most moved when we asked them what they needed. They asked for water tanks for their neighbors. With their limited resources, their first thoughts were of helping others.

After a discussion on health issues, and on family life, we said “Kwaheri Aquanana” which is “see you later”. We came away enriched and with renewed appreciation of what these women’s groups can accomplish.

Two schools sharing a kitchen

By Teresa Mellish

I was so pleased when I visited the King-O Primary School last week and learned it was sharing their kitchen with the King-O Secondary School.

There were two pots of githeri cooking in the kitchen, one for each school. The porridge was cooking outside for both schools.

The Primary School has 120 learners and the Secondary School has 240 learners. They are located next to each other on the same property.

Each school grows enough maize and beans on the school property to feed the children each day.

We have tried to get primary and secondary schools to share a kitchen previously but have never been successful until now.

Asante to these two schools for making this a success story!

Kwaheri Kenya! Our Final Week Ends

By: Kaitlin Coles, Kaitlyn Ledgerwood, Meghan Martell, with Dr. John VanLeeuwen from the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), in partnership with Farmers Helping Farmers

As our final week in Kenya comes to an end, we reminisce about the past 3 weeks spent here and what we did to make our last week count! 

We started the week with a seminar in Lower Buuri. Farmers came to the Q&A, and we got a chance to check some cows and deworm a cat while we waited for farmers to show up for the seminar. Many farmers had already completed the year-long dairy club program, and therefore had a lot of in-depth questions that we were very eager to answer. Farmers were curious about zoonotic diseases, including Anthrax, which we enjoyed educating them on, as it corresponds with our new One Health Project that is underway. At the end of the seminar, we had many participants graduate from the program and receive their certificates, which is always exciting! 

We were also joined by Bimeda Kenya representatives during the seminar and while checking cows afterwards. They hired a video company to publicize how Bimeda is giving back to the Meru County community through their support of our veterinary work. Bimeda has supplied FHF/AVC with medications over the years to help us treat many cows, which we are very thankful for!

We hosted our third and final walk-in clinic in Nkando, where we dewormed 606 cows, bulls, heifers, and calves, 7 dogs, a cat, and a few goats! After deworming, we examined animals that needed extra care, and saw cases such as East Coast Fever (ECF), Babesiosis, and pneumonia, and also diagnosed multiple pregnancies. It was a very hot and busy day for everyone, but extremely rewarding as all animals left treated, all farmers left happy, and at least 606 flies caught a ride back to Meru with us that evening.

Our second seminar of the week took place in Ngusishi. Before starting our seminar, we had a meeting with members of the Ngusishi Dairy board to discuss how things have been going at the dairy. Since FHF has partnered with them, they have been collecting much more milk and have noticed that much less milk has been rejected. This has not only benefited the dairy, but also has a significant impact on the farmers and their families. We also learned about a recent project between FHF and Ngusishi Dairy to grow Super Napier. This strain of Napier grass has a higher protein content and is more palatable, which makes it a great choice to feed to dairy cattle. They are hopeful that in the next couple of years they will be able to grow enough Super Napier that it can be distributed to farmers to help them establish their own crops of Super Napier. 

Our last seminar of the trip took place with the Naari Dairy Group. This group was very keen to learn about nutrition related to down cows and reproduction, and we had a great discussion about feeding weeds to cattle and the problems that they can cause. After many great questions during the 2 ½ hour seminar session, we handed out more certificates to graduates of the program, which was the perfect way to end our last seminar in Kenya!

On our drive back from Meru, we had the opportunity to visit the University of Nairobi’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. It was a great opportunity to compare a Kenyan Vet School to our Canadian one in PEI. We said a bittersweet goodbye to the other FHF volunteers as we all departed on different flights home. We enjoyed making these lifelong connections that began in Kenya. 

The last 3 weeks have been extremely eye-opening, especially coming from a privileged country such as Canada. The overwhelming happiness and eagerness for education here in Kenya really puts into perspective how lucky we are for our education at home. It is very apparent how FHF and UPEI have impacted farmers, women’s groups and schools in Kenya, especially in regards to food production and safety. It has been such a privilege to work with FHF and to see first-hand how appreciative people are for our support, and how much of a difference it makes in their lives. We are very hopeful to one day make it back to Kenya, and we encourage anyone who has the opportunity to go for it!

Week 2 Success in Kenya: A cup-of-tea a day keeps the daktari away

 
By: Kaitlin Coles, Kaitlyn Ledgerwood, Meghan Martell, with Dr. John VanLeeuwen from the Atlantic Veterinary College
 
 
Week two has come and gone already, and it was nothing less than exciting!

The week started off strong with two seminars. The first seminar took place in Ex-Lewa
with the biggest turn out yet! The seminar was delivered in a Q&A format, where the
farmers had plenty of great questions regarding their cows, including mastitis, nutrition,
reproduction, and general health. We had plenty of cows to check afterwards, with a
line-up down the road.

We were invited in for a cup of tea, and a chance to tour the host’s farm. It was clear to see how big of an impact FHF has on local farmers after seeing how much the host focused on cow comfort and health. Her cows were producing significantly more milk compared to what they had been in the past.

The second seminar took place in Nkando later in the week. We had the pleasure of
having two new Nairobi vet students join us for the day. We all took turns answering
questions and educating farmers with Dr. John, even demonstrating how to accurately
obtain a weight on a cow using a weight tape. We couldn’t leave without having another
cup of tea!

The donkey project was coming to an end for this trip, but not before we had the chance
to spend a day with Dr. Martha Mellish and our classmate, Anya. Multiple donkeys
showed up to be treated (and of course, we had to check at least one cow). The
donkeys were dewormed, vaccinated for tetanus, and a few received dentals.

We got to learn more about their project firsthand by watching an upper airway endoscope on a donkey. At the end of the day, we said goodbye to some of the other FHF members as they made a safe trip back to a snowy Canada. 

Our week wouldn’t be complete without another walk-in clinic. We set up shop in Buuri
and treated 150 cows, two sheep, and a dog! There were many interesting cases,
including cases of East Coast Fever (ECF), Wooden Tongue, Nutritional
Myodegeneration, Babesiosis, Habronemiasis and many more! A big team came out to
help make sure everything went smoothly, which was greatly appreciated. It ended with,
you guessed it, another cup of tea!
 

 
On the weekend, we took a well-needed break to visit Sweetwaters Game Park on the
Ol-Pejeta Conservancy. Here, we had the honor of visiting their wildlife veterinary facility
and meeting Dr. Florence Kangethe, one of the two wildlife veterinarians for the
conservatory. Surprisingly, we did not have any tea.

 
 
This week has been nothing short of amazing, and we are excited to see what our third
and final week in Kenya has in store!

Kidogo Kidogo – “little by little, or step by step”

By Anya Floyd, with Dr. Martha Mellish

Our second week of donkey work has come to an end and we felt it was time to introduce both the name and the philosophy behind our project. “Kidogo Kidogo” is the Swahili term describing a gradual process; something that is achieved little by little, or step by step. We hope that by making small changes, little by little, we will be able to enact lasting change for the Donkeys of Meru County. 

Our project now totals over 220 donkeys having received tetanus vaccines, rabies vaccines, and dewormer for intestinal and lung parasites. 

Our data collection is coming to a close with upper airway endoscopies completed on 75 donkeys. We will analyze our data once we are back in Canada, and see what conclusions we can draw.

Our driver David has been phenomenal, navigating roads and traffic that seem impossible. We always arrive safely and mostly on time! Traffic in Kenya can range from what seems like hundreds of cars, lorries, and motorcycles, to a herd of goats, sheep, and cows who have no concept that they are blocking the entire road. 

The Farmers Helping Farmers staff have also been phenomenal, acting in many roles from translator, navigator, organizer, and donkey handling assistant! Their knowledge and skill is unmatched!!

We would like to thank Gikundi, Leah, Stephen, and Salome! Without them we would not have been able to accomplish so much in such a short period of time.  

Next week, we have educational seminars and donkey walk-in health clinics planned. It is hard to believe our time here is more than half over. We will be leaving with even more plans for next year. and optimism for the future of the donkeys in Meru. 

Week 1 in Kenya: “Shoulder Deep” in the Experience

By: Kaitlin Coles, Kaitlyn Ledgerwood, Meghan Martell, with Dr. John VanLeeuwen from the Atlantic Veterinary College 

Jambo! After numerous delays, we have arrived in Kenya! This past week has been spent immersing ourselves in Kenyan culture, working with local farmers, and learning lots along the way.

Vet students with Dr. John

Our first stop on the way to Meru was the Wakulima Dairy in Mukurwe-ini. This business is now thriving with the help of Farmers Helping Farmers (FHF) and the University of Prince Edward Island. Over 25 years ago, Wakulima Dairy collected less than 5,000L of milk per day, and are now collecting over 70,000L. They continue to provide income and jobs for the community. 

We started off strong by giving a seminar on a farm to a newly-formed club of dairy farmers belonging to the Buuri Dairy Group. We discussed how important nutrition, health, and cow comfort are for happy cows and good milk production. Many eager farmers showed up wanting to learn and ask questions. The club then went to where a cow and heifer were housed on the farm, and demonstrated on those animals the application of the information provided. At the end of the day, FHF Dairy handbooks were handed out to further guide farmers and provide additional information.  

The following day, we visited farms with Stephen Chandi, an animal health employee of FHF, and a local veterinary technician, Henry Mutea of the Naari Dairy Group, to check and treat cows that farmers were concerned about. It gave us the chance to see the difference in Kenyan farms versus Canadian farms, as well as educate farmers, Stephen and Henry on how to treat certain disease and how to improve cow comfort and welfare.  

Not only does FHF run the Dairy Project, but they also provide Horticulture, Donkey, Poultry, and Nutrition projects. We spent a day with Dr. Victoria Bowes, a veterinarian from British Columbia who specializes in poultry, educating a woman’s group on the principles of raising chickens. We saw first-hand how effective the FHF Poultry Project is, when we visited farms belonging to women who have been guided by them in the past. Their coops had been much improved to support flock health and good egg production. 

A big part of the Dairy Project is holding walk-in clinic days for cattle in different areas. This week in Mbaaria, over 400 cows, bulls, heifers, and calves were dewormed and treated by the dairy health team, and a few dogs and goats got in on the action too! We were lucky to have two final year vet students from Nairobi University to help out during this busy day. The day ended with a cow with a uterine torsion coming to the walk-in clinic – Dr. John encouraged all the animal health team to put the arm into the cow’s vagina up to their shoulder to feel the torsion so they would recognize it in the future and know how to treat it. A long, tiring but rewarding day was ended with sharing a cup of tea, celebrating a good day at the clinic! 

We ended our busy first week at a FHF party, which included Kenyan and Canadian staff/volunteers, along with 3 members from each FHF partner group (dairy groups, women’s groups, and schools). The day included singing, dancing, good food, and meeting lots of incredible people! 

We are looking forward to what the next two weeks have to offer, so check back in for another update of life as a vet student in Kenya!  

‘Tricks of the trade’ help feed more students more nutritious food at Kenyan schools

By Colleen Walton, FHF volunteer

Chef Emily Wells and I are working with FHF staff, school cooks and teachers at schools partnered with Farmers Helping Farmers to ensure optimal school lunches. Education is highly valued by Kenyan families, and having a lunch program attracts students to the school. This increase in students can challenge the school, their cooks and gardeners, as well as FHF staff.

At Maritati Primary School, we tested and installed a manual vegetable cutter with Josphet, the cook. This efficient cutter will help him meet the challenge of cooking for more than 700 students. He can now more easily include chopped carrots, pumpkin or sweet potatoes in the githeri (maize and beans stew) each day.

At Mitoone Primary School, we had the fortune to work with Faith the cook and Gladys the gardener. We found that cleaning maize and beans provided by the parents was taking the cook 2 to 3 hours per day! With a bit of brainstorming by the team, the teacher in charge has instituted a solution. The maize and beans will be inspected when it is submitted to the cook, and cleaned on-site by the parent if there is too much chaff or stones.

Having the maize cooked in time for lunch is also a challenge in many schools. At Mitoone, we tested par- cooking the maize overnight. This was a huge success as the githeri was ready well ahead of the serving time. This method will reduce the morning pressure on the cooks, and make sure the maize is soft and tasty for the students.

Ruuju Primary School was the first school to partner with FHF for a student lunch program with gardens. We were delighted to find that both green veggies and pumpkin had been added to the githeri! And that they had no problem cooking the pumpkin with the skin on as it gets soft and becomes part of the soup; another labour-saving strategy!

James, the FHF Community Nutritionist, will continue to visit schools, and provide hands-on training in food and nutrition to students. As well, James will be sharing the ‘tricks of the trade’ between schools and cooks, to help the schools to meet the challenge of growing enrollment.

Seeing success on a Kenya farm rewarding for FHF volunteer

By Ken Mellish

We were visiting the Ex Lewa dairy and after the Board of Directors meeting, we had time to visit a farm.

Dorothy, the dairy manager, selected a farm near by because the rain clouds were looming and there was a distance to the pavement. The farm is operated by Purity Mwirigi. A number of her neighbours had gathered as we planned to talk about cow feeding.

The first impression was how green the crops were on the farm. Kenya has been getting lots of rain the last three months and anything that is not drowned out is growing well. We found that Purity was the farmer, and she was producing thirty litres of milk a day from two cows. This is good production by Kenyan standards. We asked her to show us the farm and tell us how she is producing milk.

Purity attended milk production training provided by Farmers Helping Farmers in 2019. She was quick to point out that the milk production on her farm was much higher as a result of the things she had learned and put in to practice.

The first stop was to visit her new calf. The calf was from her good cow and was almost two months old. She had learned to save the colostrum from the cow and ferment it to feed the calf for the first five weeks of its life. The calf was developing well, and she had used the new milk that had no other value, but is very good feed for newborn calves. The secret to producing lots of colostrum is the practice of “steaming up”, or feeding the cow well before she calves. This was learned at the FHF training.

Next we visited the cows. Two were milking, and one was expected to calve soon. Again, the cows were of very good Freisen breeding, and looked in very good condition. Their feed bunk had a mixture of chopped fresh corn, with lots of grain on the cobs, and immature Napier grass. This is the best combination of forages for producing milk in Kenya.

A short walk to the fields again showed us the results of FHF dairy training. The crops were very well fertilized with cow manure and were a dark green, indicating they would be high in protein. The corn was twice as high as us, and the Napier being harvested was the recommended three feet tall for optimum nutrition and yield. Purity had planted the
maize in August, and had some irrigation water, then the rains came and the plants were a good size. With the excellent fertility from the cow manure, the corn really grew. The same applied to the grass, with a combination of good fertility, rain and hot Kenyan sun producing a high nutrition product. Later plantings would provide feed later when this plot was finished.

So what lessons did we and the local farmers learn? The farm was producing almost all the feed for the cows, with only a small amount of grains being purchased to up the energy level in the ration. It was an almost closed system, with the crops feeding the cows, and the cows fertilizing the fields. The farm was profitable, and Purity was using the farm profits to send her children to school, and had a nice new house. Purity told us repeatedly that FHF training had enabled her to increase milk production from her cows and make more profits. Above all, we and her neighbours saw a woman who was informed and proud of her farm.

Donkey Project – Week One Success

By Anya Floyd, with Dr. Martha Mellish

The first week of our project is coming to an end, and what a week it has been! Our project has focused on completing upper airway endoscopies to assess the impacts of harness design and fit on the respiratory health of cart pulling donkeys. As well as endoscopies, every donkey we saw was vaccinated for rabies and tetanus, and was dewormed for intestinal parasites and lung worms. From each donkey, we took a fecal sample for analysis. We also performed dentistries and trimmed hooves on donkeys as needed. Our days have been filled with donkeys and their owners, and our evenings have been spent performing fecal examinations to assess the parasite load of each donkey. 

Local veterinarian Dr. Josefat Matara has been instrumental in assisting our project. His local knowledge of the donkeys and their owners has helped everything go smoothly. 

At the end of our first week, 120 donkeys have been successfully vaccinated against rabies, tetanus, and were dewormed. 

Donkey upper airway anatomy presents unique challenges during endoscopies, and Dr. Mellish’s skills were put to the test. But her experience and talent prevailed, and our donkey endoscopy technique was perfected by our second day. 

We were treated to lunch by several farmers and ended each day with smiling donkey owners. It has been such a wonderful experience to help local farmers learn about the health of their donkeys and show them how small, but impactful changes can be made to improve the health and welfare of their hard-working animals. 

This year, Meru county has had more rain, resulting in improved crops and grazing. Dr Mellish has noticed a drastic improvement in the body condition scores of the donkeys that we have so far seen, as compared to last year at this time when she was here. 

We are ending our first week inspired and excited for what is to come! The response to our project has been wonderful, owners have many questions and are excited that they can take initiative in caring for their donkeys. The combination of the Kenyan sun and happy farmers has each day left us energized and asking: “What else can we do to improve the welfare of the donkeys?” The answers we have discussed so far have been both exciting and daunting.

Welcome to our 2024 Blog

Volunteers from Canada are preparing to travel to Kenya in January and February 2024 to continue the work of Farmers Helping Farmers.

They will share photos and reports about their experiences here.

Stay tuned!

A Photo Journal: Chef Emily Wells in Kenya

Chef Emily Wells is a long-time supporter of Farmers Helping Farmers, hosting a fall harvest fundraiser in support of the non-profit group for almost two decades.

In January, Emily travelled to Kenya and was able to see firsthand the impact of her donations over the years, and to share the experience with the many Islanders who have supported the Fall Harvest Suppers over the years. 

Emily’s meals at The Mill in New Glasgow support the work of the Education Committee of Farmers Helping Farmers, and have raised more than $100,000 since the fundraiser began.

The money has supported pre-service teachers from UPEI who have taught at Kenyan schools as part of an international placement program. Many of them volunteer at the fall harvest suppers as a thank you to Emily for her support. The funds have also helped school feeding programs, school gardens and provided mosquito nets to protect children from malaria. 

Emily says she has wanted to travel to Kenya for years, and in 2024, was thrilled to make that dream come true. 

You can read about Emily’s visit to a School Nutrition Club here:

School Nutrition Club in Action

More of Chef Emily’s photos from Kenya!

School Nutrition Club in Action

By Colleen Walton, with Chef Emily Wells

I was excited to finally have the opportunity to join James, the FHF nutritionist, at the
afterschool Nutrition Club!

And to have Chef Emily demonstrate knife safety and skills.

A dynamic duo!

Wednesday afternoon at Kibirichia primary school. Imagine, 15 grade 5 students with
sharp kitchen knives.

What could go wrong? Well, nothing actually!

James led the program with help from the assigned teacher. These students were so incredibly attentive and responsible that the colourful carrots, spinach, tomatoes and pumpkin were ready for cooking in the blink of an eye.

The cook proudly explained how he soaked the maize and beans every day to prepare
the lunch githeri.

Soaking beans is key to protecting iron and zinc in the food and has the added benefit of reducing stomach upset and cooking time!

Everyone, including the assigned teacher, enjoyed a Canada Q&A with Emily and me.

We wrapped up the afternoon with the tastiest ever githeri: tamu sana in Kiswahili.

James will continue to lead these clubs in several primary schools with the help of the
horticulture staff (Gikundi, Mwenda and Salome).

The hort staff will lead the student through all steps of starting and caring for a kitchen garden.

Nutrition Club lessons were developed and evaluated by UPEI Master’s student Julie
Oyoo (2018-2020).

The topics include: “Hygiene experts”, “The kitchen’s top secret: kitchen gardening”, “Protecting iron and zinc: nutrients for strength”, and “Fill your plate with colours: Vitamin A and C”.

The hands-on approach is valued by students and sets them up for good health and success in school and life.