Alongside the Lewa Children's Home is the Baraka Farm, run by Dutch farm manager Jos Creemers. This farm plays an integral part in the self-sufficiency of the entire Lewa complex (including the Lewa Children's Home and Kipkeino School).
The farm employs over 100 people from the local community, providing much needed jobs for this impoverished area, and provides the fresh produce, meat, and dairy products including milk and cheese to the Home and School.
Surplus crops at the Baraka Farm are sold to provide for the needs of the Lewa Children's Home. There is a large local market for the farm's cheese, honey, yoghurt and milk.
Bread and Water for Africa UK helped to fund a new farm shop to sell these goods and has just granted this project £30,000 for the expansion of its dairy processing plant. This plant will allow the Farm to process all of the milk collected from its 65-cow dairy herd each day which will substantially raise profits, benefitting the Lewa complex as a whole.
The Baraka Farm is also committed to improving the local community by teaching local residents how to maximise their limited resources. The farm's demonstration plot showcases the most efficient farming techniques including crop rotation, water and soil conservation and erosion prevention. Furthermore, Jos has just signed a contract with an organisation based in the Netherlands to teach agricultural instructors from the region modern farming and animal husbandry techniques. These instructors will then go out and teach farmers in their respective districts so as to spread Jos' knowledge even further.
The Baraka Farm is an exemplary programme that has proved to us all just how far lots of hard work and dedication can go. We are proud to support this wonderful programme and all of the beautiful children that it supports.
If you would like to learn even more about the Baraka Farm, please read our newest Lewa blog!
