Bring Hope to 750 Children and Families in Kenya

“I feel empowered. These seeds have given me hope for the future and made me want to grow even more.”

For Elizabeth, a member and chairperson of a community group in Kisamba, in the eastern Gembe area of Kenya, these words express what joining the BLOOM program has meant to her.

For years, Elizabeth has worked hard to cover her siblings’ living expenses. She farms a small plot of land, growing food for her family. Yet the limited space has made it difficult to produce enough to meet their needs.

Through BLOOM, Elizabeth received seeds alongside agricultural training from agricultural specialists and field officers. She now looks toward her small garden with hope: it could help provide more food for her family and, in time, become a source of income.

PLAS implements BLOOM, a program supporting children and their parents, together with a local partner VIAGENCO in Kenya. Through counseling and agricultural training, the program works with families and schools to help create opportunities for positive change.

At a primary school in the western Gembe area, that change begins with small moments of achievement.

All sixth-grade students took part in group counseling that included MIA HESEBU, a math game using a 100-square calculation grid. PLAS created the name from Swahili words meaning “hundred” and “calculation.”

Through the game, children explore how their own efforts can make a difference. Time to reflect afterward is also an important part of the session, helping them organize their thoughts and deepen their learning.

When the counselor reviewed the previous session, some students clearly remembered the strategies they had learned for completing the grid within the time limit. This showed that they had retained lessons they could use again.

The counselor encouraged the children to keep practicing at home. Each small success offers another opportunity to feel a sense of achievement and build confidence. The aim is for children to recognize what they can do and experience how continued effort can help them move forward.

For Elizabeth, the opportunity to build on her own efforts is taking shape through farming.

The seeds she received included kale, cowpeas, and spider plant. These crops can grow in small spaces, including home gardens, and are suited to local growing conditions. Their relatively quick growth and potential for repeated harvests can help families maintain a more regular supply of food throughout the year.

Alongside the seeds, Elizabeth received training in basic agricultural skills, including soil management and water use. The purpose of providing seeds is to help participants develop the knowledge and ability to continue growing food independently.

Elizabeth hopes that, within three weeks, her family will be able to eat vegetables almost every day. She also believes her small garden could eventually provide an income. These are hopes for the coming weeks and beyond; the harvest and income outcomes are still ahead.

For now, her words describe an important change: she feels empowered and wants to keep growing.

From remembering a strategy in a classroom to planning the next steps in a garden, BLOOM brings together opportunities to learn, practice, and build confidence. We look forward to sharing how these steps develop as children and families continue their journey.

Thank you for your interest in BLOOM and for supporting PLAS. We are grateful to walk alongside you, our local partner, and participating communities as we work toward a future in which children and families can move forward with confidence and hope.

For Theresa, one of the first changes brought by HARMONY Program happened at home. Financial stress had made it harder for her family to talk with one another. After taking part in counseling, she began listening and talking with her children again.

“It had been so many years since we had really listened to one another,” she shared.

HARMONY began in April 2026 in Mbita Sub-County, Homa Bay County, Kenya. Together with local partner organization VIAGENCO, PLAS is working with 20 caregivers and their children. The program brings together counseling for parents and children with training in farming and poultry raising. Its goal is to help children recognize their strengths and imagine their futures, while caregivers build ways to provide for their families, including the costs of education.

Visiting families and preparing together
In April, VIAGENCO staff visited families in cooperation with schools and community members. They learned about each family’s circumstances, their children’s education, and the challenges they faced. After the participating families were selected, parents and children joined an orientation in May.

Families learned what they would do as part of HARMONY: prepare a chicken coop before receiving chickens, create and maintain a kitchen garden, and take part in monthly counseling and training. Participants asked practical questions about building coops and the chickens they would receive. They were already thinking about how to make the activities work in their own homes.

One child, Sophy, said she was happy to be selected and wanted to participate fully, learn as much as she could, and use the opportunity to help improve her family’s life.

Counseling begins with “knowing yourself”
Individual counseling began in June. Children drew pictures of people important to them and of their dreams for the future. With a counselor, they explored what they do well, what they find difficult, and what they would like to try. Some were nervous at first. As their thoughts were heard without judgment, they gradually became more comfortable sharing them.

Caregivers learned about children’s needs at different ages and reflected on how they communicate at home. For Theresa, this opened a space to speak about her worries and reconnect with her children. She is also looking ahead to the farming activities: she hopes to grow vegetables behind her home for family meals and raise chickens for eggs and a more regular income.

“HARMONY first helped us nurture our hearts through counseling,” she said. “Now we are ready to cultivate the land and nourish our families.”

Learning to set goals and keep trying
In July, children took part in a timed exercise using a 100-square arithmetic grid. The aim went beyond math. They practiced setting a goal, trying again when a task felt difficult, and reflecting on their progress. Some children who struggled at first completed the exercise with greater confidence after repeated attempts.

Ashly, 12, has begun to recognize her strengths and has become more interested in math. She is taking a more active part in lessons at school and has encouraged other children to believe in themselves.

The second counseling session for caregivers focused on positive communication. They reflected on the words they use with their children and practiced listening fully, asking why a child thinks a certain way, and working through problems together. Counselors also visited all 20 participating caregivers’ homes to discuss approaches suited to each family’s situation.

HARMONY is still at an early stage. Farming, poultry raising, and the use of donkeys to carry water, supplies, and harvests are the next parts of the program. Combining these activities is intended to give families more than one way to support their meals and income when rainfall, chicken illness, or feed costs make one source less reliable.

The changes already taking shape began with conversation: children sharing their hopes, caregivers listening in new ways, and families preparing for what comes next. PLAS will keep learning alongside VIAGENCO and the participating families as HARMONY grows.

Thank you for being part of this journey and for supporting children and families as they build their futures together.