Maji Mazuri's green initiative seeks to address the challenges of climate change, environmental degradation and wide spread poverty.
Maji Mazuri owns farm of land around the primary school near Kiserian and had leased a further 17acres of adjacent land for 10 years at a nominal rent from a well wisher. The land is excellent for growing vegetables and fruits but has lacked consistent water supply. A neighboring farm with a borehole and an irrigation system is highly profitable.
Fortunately, funds to drill a borehole on Maji Mazuri’s own land were obtained and an abundant supply of good quality water was found.
A generator has been purchased and a building to house it and support elevated water tanks is under construction with a completion date of August 2004. It is hoped to fund a pump and water tanks in the next two months which will enable a start to be made with farming and with providing much needed water- at a modest fee- to the local Masai community whose cattle herds are threatened by a severe draught.
As more funds are obtained, the area of irrigated cultivation will be expanded; the farm has great potential to make a major impact on Maji Mazuri Programs:
- Producing a range of vegetables and fruit for consumption by the children’s, teachers and staff in the primary school, the Headstart Program and the Children’s Home.
- Generating substantial income from the sale of cash crops in both the domestic and export markets (the neighboring farmer exports passion fruit to the UK)
- Providing a facility for agri-business training for those graduates of the primary school not going on to secondary school, for some of the youth in the youth group and for members of the local community.
Kiserian Maji Mazuri Centre and school has seen tremendous growth in infrastructure.
With help from Rotary Clubs in Ohio District 6670 in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Muthaiga, a health clinic has been built and is now awaiting furnishing and registration with the Ministry of Health to begin running. The Clinic will serve not only the children at the school but also the surrounding community.
Not only has Rotary built a clinic for the school but is adding an additional classroom block which will help to decongest and add rooms for the Girls High School which has now grown to 50 girls from the initial 30. We hope to have an increase of more girls in the high school next year as we add a new Grade 12 to the High School.
The biogas plant has been completed and is now being used to cook for the children. Gone are the days of using firewood and saw dust thanks again to Rotary that funded the biogas digester. The digester will also be a teaching and sensitizing point for the community to conserve trees by using renewable energy to cook.
The new Heifer International cows also calved 3 new calves 2 female and one bull. However due to the policy of gift giving by Heifer the 2 females will be donated to another farmer but subsequent calves will remain Maji Mazuri’s. A new rabbit hatch was also built to accommodate growing number of rabbits.
The Greenhouses have been planted with tomatoes and we expect a good harvest sometime next year. The rest of the farm has cabbages, capsicum and more tomatoes as well as some kales growing well. Additional irrigation has been added to the farm courtesy of Rotary as well as overhead irrigation tanks to increase the water capacity into the farm for better crop production.
The Dormitory was also fitted with solar water heater for the children to take hot showers and the kitchen to have hot cooking and washing up water.
Our Grade eight class of candidates sat their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam and we hope that the candidates will have done well. The exam results are expected to be out by end of December.
The Primary school acquired 3 new teaching staff in the Upper Primary Section and the High School acquired one new staff member. The students also attended various friendly matches with neighbouring schools and the High School choir visited 3 churches during the term and hosted a church youth group in the school.
The Kiserian farm is currently flourishing with these crops; tomatoes, bananas, cabbages, sukumas (collard greens), sweet potatoes, spinach, lettuce, maize, onions, beetroot, carrots and peas.
In addition to the current animals in the farm, the farm recently procured 400 chicks to add to the poultry brood, the chicken will start laying in four months time.
The next three weeks will be harvest time at the farm and the produce that is not supplied to the school will be sold at the local market. In addition to getting fresh vegetables, milk and eggs from the farm, the students, especially those who are studying agriculture have been allocated small learning gardens where they grow crops as part of their learning experience.
The geese are currently hatching and will have a new breed soon. The rabbits are being interbred to have a hybrid and are now in the second generation. By fourth generation they will be hybrid.
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