2018

The Farm

In 2018 the farm was given a name 'Ahadi ya Mungu' which means 'The Promise of God'.

It was decided that beans and maize will be the principle crops initially.

October - The Guernsey Team Visit Kibera

Thanks to some very generous donations from Shiloh Baptist Church in Guernsey, we were able to pay for new uniforms for some of the poorest children at the Academy. We were also able to give a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste to every one of the 300 children in the school. We bought the uniforms locally as we are keen to support local businesses through our projects.

New Tractor

As a result of some serious fund-raising by Forest Methodist Church in Guernsey during 2017, we have been able to purchase a brand new Massey Ferguson 240 tractor. We look forward to ploughing and getting our first crops of beans and maize. These tractors have not been available in the west since the 1980's but they are still sold in developing nations such as Kenya and are 'no-frills', reliable, tried and tested workhorses.

Classrooms, Toilets and a Clinic/Counselling Room

Provisional permission has been granted by the Nairobi Authorities, (subject to Proof of Title) and funds raised to extend the Kibera Academy infrastructure during 2018. Thanks to a generous grant of £40,000 from the Guernsey Overseas Aid and Development Commission, these new facilities will transform the lives of 300 children and staff at Kibera Academy

Dam

After 18 months of trying to resolve our water shortage problems, we hope to start constructing a new dam and reservoir using a seasonal river bed that runs through the farm. The dam will be about 2 metres high, behind which will be a 'pan' reservoir - effectively a circular lake. The water passing along the river bed during the rainy seasons can be appear suddenly and become a raging torrent in minutes, enough to wash a large vehicle away. The circular nature of the lake calms the rush and does far less damage to the otherwise vulnerable banks. The work has been entrusted to a Kenyan NGO, Sahelian Solutions Foundation and we look forward to seeing this project progress. We have only been able to go ahead with this work thanks to a generous grant of £40k form the States of Guernsey Overseas Aid and development Commission to whom we offer our grateful thanks.

Purchase of shrubs

In spring 2018, Joseph, our Farm Caretaker started planting Kei Apple trees - sometimes referred to as Thorn Apple or Kayaba. These will strengthen the 2 metre high wire fence that was constructed around the farm in 2017 making it a 'living fence'. The shrubs will be plaited into the wire as they grow giving a secure barrier. As the fence is over 2 kilometres long, this will take some time but Joseph had completed more than half of this by summer 2018.

The shrubs are drought resistant, grow rapidly - sometimes half a metre in a single season and produce root chemicals that inhibit the growth of other plants close by thus reducing considerably the need to weed. The fruit is edible and produces significantly more Vitamin C than either oranges or lemons.