Newark Christian Aid Group

This Christian Aid Week, we're supporting families facing hunger in Nairobi to help themselves.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEci8qhWPxg 

…urban farmers can grow hope.

This Christian Aid week is a story of growing hope, of how even from the smallest of resources, major benefits can grow. On the outskirts of the modern city of Nairobi lie the charmingly named “informal settlements” or shanty towns, where people live in very close proximity in one room shacks without running water, electricity or personal toilet facilities. Most parents wake every single day knowing they must somehow earn money that day, otherwise their children won’t eat that evening. Often more than half of any income can be spent on food, before paying for school fees and other expenses such as health care. It’s a precarious and frightening daily struggle.

In Dagoretti, one of these settlements, Christian Aid is supporting a partner organisation called Beacon of Hope, which provides training so parents can learn to farm vegetables in the smallest of spaces to feed their families and earn an extra income. A narrow alley can be converted to a productive space with use of vertical planting or cone gardens. Cone gardens can grow over 100 plants in a space smaller than a chair! They also learn to conserve rainwater, make organic compost, and use dehydrators to preserve food. With tools, seeds and training, families can plan for the future. This also helps empower women.

Please give what you can this Christian Aid Week. Any donation you make could help buy seeds for example to kickstart a healthy vegetable garden in a space-saving cone.

Thank you.