Community Development Prospers in Kenya
A little over a year ago Reach the Children partnered with Mutituni Horticultural Growers, leading to the opening of two new Community Development Centers in Lita and Nuguni, Kenya. Thanks to leadership and guidance from Bob Roylance, director of Reach the Children's Agricultural program, and Jimmy Matunga, Kenya director of Community Development, Reach the Children has been able to help the farmers increase their income by helping them market their produce to the U.K. Produce is shipped out twice a week and through that activity more than 500 jobs for casual laborers were directly created. Indirectly, over 3,000 jobs were created for the farmers and their households in the areas around Mutituni, Lita and Nuguni.
In 2004, the President of Kenya, Honorable Mwai Kibaki, came to Machakos to see the project and how Reach the Children is assisting the local farmers market their produce. He was impressed with what he saw and urged them to continue their efforts. "The best way to eradicate poverty is through agriculture," President Kibaki said before he left.
In addition to the produce assistance, these communities have benefited from Reach the Children's family-based Orphan Care program. The capability of the local people to care for their orphaned children has increased, bringing greater hope to the orphans. Reach the Children has also supplied many orphans with blankets, clothes, shoes, pencils, books, kerosene lamps (for studying in the evenings), and scholarships to secondary school. Reach the Children's Community Development programs are unique. One local farmer said, "I have not heard or witnessed any organization exporting beans as well as helping orphans to have a better future."