Ensuring Food Security for Children in Maasailand

Our gardens are an essential part of our mission, providing fresh, nutritious food for students in our feeding program and helping offset costs at our center through produce sales. However, as with many communities in Tanzania and across East Africa, human-wildlife conflict with elephants can pose serious challenges. Elephants are known to roam near farms and gardens in search of food, and when they enter cultivated land, they can cause significant damage. This can have a real impact on local food security and livelihoods—a shared challenge for many communities near elephant habitats.

To safeguard our gardens, we are implementing elephant-proof fencing designed to protect our crops while supporting a peaceful coexistence with these remarkable animals. Once completed by 2025, the fences will help secure our garden’s yield, ensuring a reliable source of fresh produce for the children we support. This project wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of our donors. Your support helps us take steps toward a sustainable future for our center, where children can thrive with healthy meals and communities can balance the needs of both people and wildlife. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us, and stay tuned for more updates as we make progress on this vital project!

Our agricultural and livestock projects yielded remarkable results this year! The 5-hectare maize farm at Chemchem matured and was ready for harvest, demonstrating the success of our agricultural initiatives. that means over 56 bags of corn to feed our students across the year! In addition, our small garden at the home produced cucumbers and other vegetables, which were used both within the center and sold at the market. Our pig farming project also flourished, with the number of pigs increasing to 34. We planned to reduce this number to boost income, using this project as a training ground for children in animal husbandry and entrepreneurship. The older youth can volunteer to become involved in maintaining and operating the pig farm, including tasks such as cleaning, feeding, and washing the pigs. These projects not only contributed to our self-sufficiency but also provided practical skills and education for the children.