When we started Fadhili in 2001, we were responding to the need for home based care training for caregivers with terminally ill patients some of whom would finally pass on. Some of the deceased patients had relatives who were responsible enough to take over the welfare of the children but there were others who totally ignored the plight of the orphaned children. Every time we saw these freshly orphaned children, we felt helpless and we would often support them with food only. We kept telling ourselves that our focus was with the patients not the orphans; we were hesitant to get involved especially because we did not have enough resources to reach out to them. We prayed for God to help them while being the bystanders, watching what God would do.  (Sometimes God is just waiting for us to say, “Yes Lord, send me here I am”).

Such a time came in 2003, one morning when the Executive Director was walking in the Kware slums of Ongata Rongai and met a little 5-year-old boy who had recently become an orphan after the passing on of his mother. He had been sent away from kindergarten for school fees of USD 15. The little boy wondered why we had also stopped visiting their home. It was very difficult to tell the little boy the truth; that we were about home based care for the terminally ill and not the orphans. The Director felt convicted then that something had to be done about it and decided there and then to find funds to get the little boy back to school.

Thus started our education support project; quite spontaneously, without even writing a proposal, the Watoto Wetu project was born. Thereafter, one of Fadhili Trust board members raised funds for Watoto Wetu from the Kenya Electricity Generating company (KENGEN) which lasted for 9 years and in 2012, we met a well-wisher from Canada who has continued to provide funds for the children through DevExchange. To date 150 students have benefitted from this program and many of them have become successful in different fields.

In Kenya, Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the lives of most farmers, especially within the rural settlements with approximately 70% of women in the sector relying on it. In its effort to support and sustain livelihoods, Fadhili Trust has continuously supported farmers by not only training them so that they can understand the benefits of growing more food and earning from their crops by transitioning from conventional farming methods to conservation agriculture but also linking them to markets for optimal profits.

“Conservation agriculture is a method of farming that emphasises minimal tillage, maximum soil cover and crop rotation. Fadhili Trust has introduced ways of land preparation, weeding, planting, harvesting and post-harvest food handling that are beneficial to farmers in the Makindu & Nguumo Wards of Makueni County.”

Fadhili Trust’s greater joy is farmers positively impacting each other

We work with farmer groups and individual farmers in Makindu and Ngumo wards by enlightening them on conservation agriculture that is mainly underpinned on three main principles:

• 1.     Minimal soil disturbance; ensuring their soils are well protected
• 2.     Permanent soil cover; using dry mulch
• 3.  Crop diversification and rotation; coming up with ways through which we can improve soil fertility

Adaptation of new methods of farming can be slow especially because many farmers are used to conventional farming methods which have been practised for ages. However, once they see the difference in yields between conservation agriculture and conventional farming, they not only become convinced but also become proponents of Conservation Agriculture to other farmers. Fadhili will work with agricultural stakeholders to ensure that the expected standard practices are upheld throughout the area. During the last 3 years Fadhili has witnessed an increase in yields from season to season and more farmers transitioning from Conventional farming to Conservation Agriculture. Farmers are also making use of their membership in VSL groups to access loans to buy seedlings and farming tools. The number of spontaneous farmers is growing bey

Mr Johnstone Ndunda, a Field Extension Officer at Fadhili Trust believes that the organisation can do more to impact more farmers. “At the moment, we are covering two wards and we are only two field staff members to reach more farmers in the region and beyond, we need to do more. However, I can confidently say that we have achieved a lot. Looking at the number of farmers that are part of our village saving loan groups and practising conservation farming, it is evident that our food security project has been a big success.”

Fadhili Trust is appealing to more partners in order to multiply  to the whole of Kibwezi West and beyond. We look forward to working with suppliers and research organisations in identifying seed varieties and new technologies that farmers can use and implement respectively for greater progress!

Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) are small (18-25 people to a maximum of 30) member managed community-based associations or groups that voluntarily contribute their own savings (no external capital) and provide loans to their members with interest. Basically, records are kept in each member’s passbook, a summary note book and members memorization.  VSLAs also contribute to a “Social Fund” to help members to take care of medical emergencies, funeral expenses, and other needs stipulated in their constitution.  The term ‘Savings Groups’ or SGs, for short, is increasingly being used as a generic description of these community-based financial entities such as VSLAs.

Fadhili Trust’s ultimate goal for VSLAs is self-management with regard to each group’s capacity to carry out their financial and other activities (saving, lending, social and other activities) on their own, without the supervision or assistance from the trainer (Field Officer or Village Agent).

A VSLA is expected to achieve self-management by the end of the first cycle.  A cycle is defined as the period between the time the group starts to save to the day of the Share-out.  Share-out or Action Audit is the activity where members share out their accumulated savings and profits.  According to Fadhili this may take nine 9 to 12 months.  It is possible that a group may require assistance beyond 12 months but Fadhili Trust usually promotes a “no more than 14 months’ supervision policy.  All groups are expected to be self-managed and graduate from supervision by the 14th month at the very latest.  The day the group starts to save again signals the start of the next cycle.  

VSL groups and business skills training has helped in providing avenues for loans to meet basic needs like purchase of food items, payment of medical bills, education of children, buy household and family assets, self-employment via accessing capital for initiating small businesses. The loans also help in meeting other household needs like supporting farming activities and acquiring farm inputs among others, cushioning the locals from engaging in environmentally detrimental activities for economic gain like sand harvesting, charcoal burning, deforestation, poaching and other social and environmental hazardous activities. This has indirectly helped in improving the local vegetation and forest cover. Many group members also have embarked on water harvesting and storage activities as they acquire loans to purchase water tanks, construct water ponds, hence improving water conservation efforts. Members also use loans to purchase solar power equipment thus migrating to clean, efficient and environmentally sound renewable energy.

The small businesses and income generating activities (IGAs) have greatly boosted the families of VSLA members by providing income and investment opportunities. Most members have one or two initiatives ranging from rope, baskets and mats making to small livestock rearing as well as water selling, food kiosks and small shops. The VSL methodology has proven to be a sustainable way of improving communities’ livelihood.

Church and Community Transformation (CCT) is a recent inclusion in Fadhili’s activities. It is aimed at encouraging the church and empowering it to be involved in transformational development in the community. It is meant to get the church to be actively involved in the needs of its congregants and community while also taking care of the environment.  The CCT program has foundational mindset change approaches based on the Scripture.

The program is being implemented in Makueni county, Kibwezi-West sub-county, specifically Nguumo and Makindu ward.  As the Fadhili Trust staff were working with the community, they noted that there was a need to incorporate the church in implementing its work in Makueni county. This led to the introduction of the Church and Community Transformation (CCT) program. 

CCT promotes the restoration of the broken relationships with God, self, others and creation. It is meant to challenge certain mindsets that encourage poverty amongst community members.  CCT is implemented by use of Biblical teachings that enhance sacrificial living and shuns selfishness (2 Corinthians 9:11) 

The main goal of CCT is to promote the integration of Word and deed in ministry (James 2:14-17) . The objectives are to motivate and empower the church to get involved in the community by helping people identify and address their needs with the available resources, promote the involvement of the church in healing relationships and encourage the church to be part of restoration of dignity to the brokenhearted who are also created in the image of God. The project is currently working with 34 churches having trained over members to steer the program in the different churches.