Ensuring Food Security for Children in Maasailand

Did you know that between supply chain interruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic + disruptions to the global food supply due to the war in Ukraine, the world is experiencing a global food shortage? With the effects of climate change, this will likely get worse for most developing nations.

Corn is a critical crop in Tanzanian life, and at Amani Children’s Home. Corn makes up nearly 80% of the children’s diet & is the most accessible source of carbohydrates. Most of the corn produced in Tanzania is exported to Kenya and other parts of Africa. This can cause high prices for Tanzanians.

Right now corn supplies are low all around in Africa! Demand is higher and last year a lack of rains and poor harvest means this year’s crop will be smaller. Amani's working hard to plan ahead and build sustainable stocks of food stores to guarantee healthy diets for all of our children! Learn more about our work!

Shockingly, firewood doesn't grow on trees. It's a resource that is growing increasingly scarce in the area of Mto wa Mbu, We expect to see a ban on wood harvesting for fuel purposes in the near future. Amani uses firewood to cook meals for over 60 people a day. That's about several hundred pounds of wood a month! Given this, it was important for our community to start looking for ways to decrease our reliance on timber. 

As we've shared before, sometimes solutions come from unlikely places. Biogas is a safe, clean, and cost-effective energy alternative to timber. But these digesters need a source of organic waste to run. Pigs are an excellent resource, because they consume the food scraps and husks from the crops produced at the center, and their waste is used as fuel for the biogas digester. They can also be sold as pork, which is in high demand, and the profit can be used to purchase healthy plant and animal foods to improve the diets of the children. Another exciting bonus is that pigs and biogas are both environmentally friendly! The cattle at Amani are sold to purchase the pigs, which have a smaller environmental footprint. Biogas is also a clean source of energy, prevents deforestation, and is safe for children to be nearby. It’s a win-win!

As we embrace this new energy system, the Amani Children’s Home looks towards a greener, cleaner, and healthier future! Amani has broken ground on both the biogas digester and pig husbandry buildings. In the coming weeks, both facilities will be ready for use! This means clean energy + an additional source of income for the center. This will bring us closer to our goal of long-term financial and environmental sustainability. We will be excited to share updates on the completion of this project in our next report!