Improve Livelihoods of 225 HIV-Affected Families

As reported previously, the prolonged drought in the country has affected everybody in the cycle.  We had a lot of high hopes that the situation would improve but unfortunately it has been worst.  Our project beneficiaries prepared their land long time ago with hopes of rains coming but that has not been the case and to some extent some farmers had already planted unfortunately due to lack of rains some seeds did not germinate while those germinated withered afterwards.  They are now requesting for the support for the seeds and planting materials as they have nothing to plant.  Towards the end of April there were some rains in some parts of the country.  In Nakuru County where our beneficiaries are, we received some rains and farmers started planting expecting the rains to continue but we are now all concerned as the rain has not continued.  Those who planted, their crops have germinated but they need rains at this point.  It is very confusing at the moment as farmers are not sure how to continue.  We remain optimistic that the situation will improve soon and the rains will resume as farmers continue planting.  Livestock rearing has been a hectic for the farmers due to lack of pastures and as earlier reported, our beneficiaries are really struggling to feed them and also to provide water for the livestock.  Next week we will be distributing seeds, fruits and tree seedlings to some farmers to support them during this difficult period as we educate them on climate change mitigation so that they can understand the importance of planting trees in their areas as well as environment conservation and protection.  We also intend to distribute dairy goats, sheep and chicken as well to improve their worse situation especially on improvement of living standards.  During the distribution of livestock, seeds and seedlings, we will as well consider our HIV/AIDS victims to benefit from this initiative and especially those who are more vulnerable.  We are happy that despite the hard situation we are still in a position to support them and help them get started after a very difficult period.  We appreciate our well-wishers and donors for supporting our beneficiaries and improving their living standard.  We request for more support to help our farmers and beneficiaries especially on food and nutrition security as well as reliable source of water for domestic use and simple irrigations during the dry spell to ensure the continuity of vegetable production and water for the livestock.  Thank you for your generosity