By Tanya Weaver | Executive Director
Water is so important! Without it crops don't grow, flocks die, plants shrivel up, and people walk miles and miles to fetch it.
In Mombasa, Kenya, water has been scarce for many years, thanks to a drought that has ravaged the eastern side of Africa for years and which culminated with a famine last year in the Horn of Africa. Food prices have soared and families are having a hard time affording anything besides the traditional ugali, a corn-based paste-like food.
This year, we decided to do something about the terrible situation and we dug a borehole on a 50 acre plot of land, called AFCA's Vista Hermosa. I laughed when I was told the name of the land - a spanish name (Beautiful View) in the middle of a swahili speaking country. But what an honor to have the land named after our organization (the AFCA part, at least!) simply because we cared enough to bring water to this area by the drilling of a borehole.
The borehole is dug and water is flowing on Vista Hermosa now! Crops have been planted and they are growing...maize, passion fruit, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, kale, spinach, and so much more! We were even able to place a greenhouse on the land, which will produce tomatoes. This is something that is impossible to grow in Mombasa's climate, so it is something we are very, very excited about.
Best part about this project? Children will soon start benefitting from the food that is growing. How neat is that? Little ones will get the vitamins they need and they will have such a great chance of growing up healthy. Women who purchase veggies at very discounted prices will sell at the market, providing money for their families which will help pay for school fees, medicine and other needed things.
This type of project makes me sigh with happiness because there are so many layers of good happening. Thank you for being a part of this and thank you for bringing change to a dry area which now has crops growing - a miracle in our eyes and hope in theirs.
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