Our Students grow their own Crops and they are so good at it!

When our students go to school their fees pay for one good meal a day and a cup of porridge in the mid morning break.

Then our schools closed because of Covid from April 2020 until the beginning of 2021. This not only meant their education stopped but so did their meals. Initially SSF provided basic food parcels diverting the unused fees into buying food for the students' families. Then Tom Bilo suggested that this was taken further by buying in both seeds and fertiliser. Each student was invited to collect a set amount of each, to use on their own family plots of land. They got excellent guidance and with it came amazing results. The photo shows Emily in Form 2 at the time, who took responsibility for not just growing her crop for her family but also collecting most of the group's results. She is surrounded by healthy maize plants which when harvested is used in many local dishes but particularly the much loved Ugali.

Emily's list shows the names of 21 students with the size of family in the next column and the number of tins of maize that each collected. She has then estimated how long those tins of maize will help to sustain her family and Elly's family. As there are 8 in her family, her maize will last for 7 weeks whereas Elly is more likely to get 10 weeks for his family of 6.

(Below) Collins (Now Form 2) stands between the smallish crop that is just coming through. But this will be the third crop since this project was started about 15 months ago.

(Above)Ruth's family had a good plot of land but her family house was fast deteriorating with a very leaky roof. This has now been replaced and the house is partially completed. The smooth outer coat will be added once the core fully dries out but it has a mabati tin roof which is ideal for catching fresh rain water. The photo shows Ruth (in white) surrounded by maize cobs. This is her 2nd harvested crop and it will last the family about 10 to 12 weeks with a small surplus to sell for other essentials.

Emily is referring to the use of fertiliser which most poor families could never contemplate using because of cost but Tom Bilo is both a very good teacher and an excellent farmer and our students have followed his instructions & have been amazed at the yields that they are now producing. Apart from growing her own crop for her family, Emily is doing full time school work at a high 'grammar school' standard and finding time to collect and report the results of the whole group. She is a rather amazing young person. Many thanks Emily.

Footnote: Emily is reporting in her third language as she speaks fluent Luo(tribal language) and of course Kiswahili...I think she is 16!