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|  | | Recent News (Kenya) | | A year long pilot programme designed to provide knowledge and skills in sustainable agricultural practices and rural development in Kenya, has culminated in the formal launch of a valuable new farmers textbook.
Dr.Geoffrey Mwangi of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)joined other stakeholders for the launch last week of Self Help's 'Training Curriculum on Food Security & Livelihoods' publication.
Self Help country director Duncan Ochieng Onduu told the launch that the objective of the publication was to provide practical information which would enable farmers to apply approved agricultural technologies. To find out more read here. |
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| | Recent News (Kenya) | | Beekeeping plays an important role in development in Kenya - and a range of initiatives in the area have been supported by Self Help in Kenya through the beekeeping unit at Baraka Agricultural College, for more than a decade.
The environmental benefits of pollination, the potential of honey production as an income generating activity, and other topics are covered in 'A Beginners Guide to Beekeeping in Kenya', a valuable and practical guide to apiculture that has been written by Tom Carroll - head of the Self Help backed Beekeeping Unit at Baraka College.
Having lived and worked in Kenya for the past 14 years, Tom Carroll's guide examines the reality and the opportunity of beekeeping in the country. It is available from this online book-store. |
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| | Drip Irrigation | | Self Help in Kenya has just started the roll out of a drip-irrigation initiative which will help more than 20,000 householders in Gilgil Division, Nakuru, to increase their on-farm productivity.
With funding support of three million Kenyan shillings (33,000) received from Australian Aid, the organisation has commenced a programme which will see drip-irrigation kits being provided to small scale farmers in Self Helps Gilgil programme area in the coming years.
Up to 1,500 drip kits are to be distributed to farmers across the project area in the coming year. To find out more read here. |
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| | Dairy Group Plans | | Ushindi Dairy Group in Eburru extension area of Gilgil area based programme informed its recent annual general meeting that the group planned to have all of their 24 members stocked with dairy cows by the end of 2009.
Four members have already purchased cows since the group formed in 2005, and they aim to have a dozen stocked with cattle by March 2008. The group save collectively, and provide loans to their members once their savings have reached at least half of the cost of buying a cow. The members will be producing enough milk to sell their surplus to a dairy in Naivasha once the programme is fully operational, the group's secretary said. Read more here. |
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| | Farmers Field School | | Self Help participated in a recent Farmers Field School presentation to promote the organisation's work, at the Nakuru Showgrounds, recently.
A collaborative venture between the Kenyan Government and the Food and Agricultural Organisation, the showcase provided a platform to enable Self Help to discuss it's work, and engage with farmers and agricultural representatives.
Self Help used the occasion to share information on some of the activities that have been undertaken in partnership with extension farmers on the Gilgil area based project over the past year. |
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| | Gorta Visit | | Self Help in Kenya recently hosted a visit to it's project work by the chief executive and chairman of Irish NGO Gorta.
Gorta CEO Brian Hanratty and board chairman Prof Denis Lucey visited Self Help's area based programme at Gilgil, saw a number of project activities and met farmers who are working with Self Help.
Gorta and Self Help are both funding partners in Kenya of the work of Baraka Agricultural College in Molo. The two representatives of the NGO were on a fact-finding visit to Kenya when they met with Self Help's country director Duncan Ochieng Onduu and his team. Pictured (right) is Mr. Hanratty with Self Help Natural Resource Manager Brian Kipkurui at a tree planting at Muriricua Primary School. |
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| | Dam Construction | | Construction work has been completed on a major new dam project designed to remedy serious water shortages in the Eburru extension area of Nakuru District, in Self Help's Gilgil area based project in Kenya has started.
Situated at Nagam, the dam has been built to harvest and store rainwater, and provide a year round water source in an area that is highly susceptible to drought. The construction of a drinking water point and cattle trough at the site will be carried out as a second phase of the work. This will enable the project to meet both domestic consumption and livestock needs. There are also plans to utilise the dam to develop drip irrigation agricultural systems on nearby land. | | More Info |
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| | Extension Worker Bicycles | | The coverage of farmer extension services in Self Help's Gilgil programme in Kenya has been strengthened following the distribution of bicycles to the organisation's community based advisors.
Close to 60 bikes were distributed recently to a team of recently trained 'Community Own Resource Persons (CORPS)- who deliver a range of farmer training and support at grassroots level. Kenya's new CORPS team include extension workers, veterinary advisors, tree seedling producers, seed multipliers, community health and nutrition advisor. The bicycles will serve all the four extension areas of the Gilgil Project : Eburru, Mitimingi, Kiambogo and Karunga. Pic : Dr. P.L.O Lumumba, former secretary of Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC) presents a bicycle to one of the extension workers. | |
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| | Training Course | | The development of effective methods whereby issues of Gender, HIV/AIDS and Natural Resource Management can be 'mainstreamed' in to the food security and livelihood programmes that SHDI is implementing in Kenya were the subject of a training course for staff and collaborators, in September.
Country director Duncan Ochieng Onduu said that Self Help had policies in place in all three areas, but that it was critical that they formulated appropriate methods for introducing the issues into their programmes, in a manner and context which were fitting to the scenarios and circumstances as exist in Kenya.
The training workshop was hosted by SHDI, and facilitated by the Kenyan Centre for Land, Economy and the Rights of Women. | | Read Report on Mainstreaming Workshop |
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| | Monitoring & Evaluation | | Effective systems of being able to monitor and evaluate the impact that project work has had with beneficiary communities on the ground are essential, if development programmes are to be sustainable and successful in the long term.
Self Help Kenya staff, it's partners at Baraka Agricultural College, and those of the government line ministries took part in a training programme in June, 2006, aimed at delivering a concise understanding of the concepts and necessary framework for M & E, and on delivering the skills that are needed to effect successful M & E systems. A total of 34 participants took part in the five-day training course, a report from which is available below. | | Monitoring & Evaluation Training Report |
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| | Gilgil Programme Underway | | Self Help began programme implementation work in the country's new Gilgil Area Based Programme in the Spring of 2006.
The work, which focussed on improving the productivity of small-holding farms, measures to develop irrigated farming systems, and steps to address environmental degradation, followed extensive needs assessment studies and consultations which had been undertaken with local Government, and with local community representatives in the latter months of 2005.
The baseline survey of needs was carried out in the four districts where Self Help staff in Gilgil are currently focussing their efforts - Eburru, Mitimingi, Karunga and Kiambogo. |
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| | Official Registration | | Self Help in Kenya formally launched the organisation's first 'Five Year Strategic Plan' for its work in the country, at a reception in Nakuru last March.
In one of the final official functions before his retirement, Self Help founder and chairman Dr. Noel McDonagh was amongst the attendance at an event which was attended by the Deputy Provincial Commissioner of the Rift Valley, Ms. Pauline Dola (pictured).
The occasion also celebrated Self Help's formal registration as an independent NGO in Kenya. | | Self Help's Formal Launch |
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| | | | | Self Help Africa is a limited liability company. Company number: 105601 Charity No. 6663 (Ireland)
The organisation has offices in Ireland at: Annefield House, Dublin Road, Portlaoise, Co. Laois Tel: 00 353 (0)57 8694034 - Fax: 00 353 (0)57 8694038, and in the United Kingdom at : Second Floor Suite, Westgate House, Dickens Court, Off Hills Lane, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 1QU. Tel : 0044-(0)1743 277170
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