Food
The Problem:
Food is essential.
It’s a basic necessity that many of the families we work with aren’t
able to provide for themselves. In
the IDP camps here, the majority of people rely on government handouts sustain
them throughout the month. In a few
camps, the government doesn’t provide assistance and they have an even harder
time trying to grow enough food or make enough money to simply eat.
In either case, it’s a flawed system. Handing out food may be necessary in relief
efforts, but only as a temporary solution. That’s what happened here in Kenya when the government
provided assistance to those who were displaced in 2008. Everyone thought this was going to be a
short-term effort until things could return back to normal. However, here we are four years later
and the problem of hunger persists.
People have become dependent on others to provide enough food for them
to survive.
The Solution:
There are rarely easy answers in poverty alleviation. Handing out things may well be the
easiest option and feel the best for those giving, but it has destructive
consequences. A few weeks ago we
had the opportunity to partner with a local school here for missionary
kids. We coordinated 30 sixth
graders who wanted to help in the IDP camps. Typically, they’re used to giving out clothes or giving away
food, but we wanted them to experience something different. We wanted them to partner with the
people they were serving.
So, with the limited amount of time we had, we tried to focus on relationships
and partnerships. We had the kids
split into teams of two and then placed each team with a family in the IDP
camp. Then they worked together,
getting to know one another, and built a sack garden (see photo on the
right). These sack gardens are a
great way to grow a lot of food in a small amount of space. The family provided dirt and stones and
we helped with seeds and the bag….and together something was built to help
provide food long into the future.
This small act brought people together and helped provide
some resources for those in need to provide for themselves. We want to continue on this track….partnering
with people to empower them to take ownership of their situations and provide
for themselves through hard work.
