Long-Term Food Security for 4000 Samburus in Kenya

During times of drought, the semi-nomadic Samburu tend to migrate to areas with better prospects of grazing for their herds.  Now, with enough consistent rain, our neighbours are making their way back to their homes and our surrounding communities are again more populated and lively.

Here at Sadhana Forest Kenya, we’ve been working on finding an optimal method of germinating Moringa stenopetala to ensure the seedlings are off to the best possible start. The goal is to plant a Moringa tree at each and every one of our beneficiaries’ homes. The Moringa is an exceptional tree!  Its leaves are highly nutritious and can be harvested almost immediately.  They can go a long way in mitigating anaemia in children, which is a big problem in our area.  Also, Moringa is nicknamed “Mother’s Helper” as it has been found to increase breast milk production.

After some experimentation, we developed a planting method with great potential, but we had another challenge plaguing us; baboons and francolins! A francolin is a fowl-like bird. We needed to protect our nurseries from the damage little claws and naughty paws were doing to our tender trees.  Success!  We have now produced many hundreds of happy seedlings in an animal-proof nursery.  We foresee commencing their distribution by the year’s end.

We are so grateful for our volunteers and the support from the Global Giving community.  If you are interested in providing us further feedback concerning our project, finding out more about our activities or area of operation, or would like to volunteer with us, please contact us here or email us directly at kenya@sadhanaforest.org.  We also strongly encourage you to provide feedback at the end of this report.

Ashe Oleng! (Thank you very much in Kisamburu)