Summaries of HUNGER PROJECTS in Africa
Working with LWR Partners

Kenya—Mukuru Agricultural Project

Partners: LWR and Sisters of Mercy

Along the Ngong river of Nairobi, another segregated settlement, the Mukuru slum has an estimated population of 400,000; and 60 percent are below 16 years of age. Primary school attendance in these city slums is less than 30 percent with many more children opting for the street life begging, scavenging for food, and engaging in petty crime. The state has failed to cater for the needs of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the education system, described as being “certificate-oriented,” does not make provisions for children’s sociological, psychological, and other physical needs. Children in Mukuru live through the vicious cycle of poverty: that of illiteracy, lack of skills, unemployment, insecure livelihoods, and HIV/AIDS.

GOAL: To allow the Center not only to treat the symptoms of poverty by providing food and shelter for disadvantaged children in Mukuru, but also address some of the main causes of poverty by imparting these children and their families essential skills in urban agricultural practices that would allow them to improve their food security and livelihoods. It will also allow Mukuru Promotion Center meet its own vegetable needs, increase its net profit from the sale of newly tested agricultural products every year, and improve its financial management capacity.
LWR accompaniment strategy will be focused on facilitating networking with academic agricultural institutions such as Jomo Kenyatta University, internship opportunities for pupils with other rural agricultural projects, and working with the organization to address its development project planning and implementation capacity.

OBJECTIVES: LWR’s partner, Sisters of Mercy will:

Improve food security and livelihood
•At least 40% of the target parents and children will practice urban agriculture at home and be improving their food security and income.
•In-house production will be able to meet 100% of egg and vegetable needs.
•Net profit will be increased from development of new marketable products, employees further improving their livelihoods from bonus schemes established.

Improve self-esteem of children
• Self-esteem and confidence of children will improve, and the children will have acquired relevant practical and theoretical skills, leading to at least 60% of pupils passing exams in urban agriculture.

Improve organizational capacity
• Improve financial recording capacity of the organization and the different units within the organization.

Approved Project Support: $25,000 through 2005.

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Hunger Projects : Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda.