The Plant A Seed Project

After the current harvest season, the Dorcas Women group members will no longer experience hunger amidst the global food prices inflation.

The project is vital as The World Bank’s July 2023 report shows that food price inflation has been high in underdeveloped countries, with African countries being highly affected. In Kenya, the price of staple food commodities doubled, making it difficult for already struggling low-income households to put meals on their tables.

Food hunger defines a situation where a home lacks sufficient food to supply its energy and nutritional needs, causing detrimental effects on their physical and emotional well-being (Derose,n.d).

The Dorcas Women is a group of twenty-five widowed women who are highly susceptible to poverty and food hunger. These women are the sole breadwinners, and the constant rise of prices of household items worsens their already struggling situation.

However, the “Plant a Seed Project” has alleviated the problem for these widowed women and the local community at large.
The Dorcas Women’s Group is an initiative by Umala Mission to educate and empower them.

The mission funds these women’s enterprises with small loans, returnable after six months, and they meet every Friday for financial literacy and economic empowerment.

Recently, the women undertook the “Plant a Seed Project,” a farming program to supply the women with food in the current planting season, and to gain seeds for the next season for themselves and other needy community members.

The program was funded by a benevolent donor, Miss Patricia, who visited the women in the country from the United States and brought along the seeds used in the planting.

The project also induced a motivating spirit by rewarding with money price for the top three performers with Kenya Shillings, 3000 for the winner, 2000 for the runner up, and 1500 for third place, respectively, done at the colorful ceremony at the end of the harvest.

The women are encouraged to pass the button by sharing the seeds of both the produce and the seeds of education with other needy counterparts in their community.

Now, the Dorcas Women will replant and continually secure their family’s food supply.
The impact of the Dorcas Women group initiative, “Plant a Seed Project,” surpass the immediate benefit of alleviating food hunger by creating a gender-inclusive socio-economy.
Often, gender roles relegate women to household management, leaving them with low levels of
education and skills, and the families remain susceptible when widowed.

However, education and training offer these women the tools to secure their children’s and families’ well-being and to contribute to the country’s economic stability.

More importantly, the Plant a Seed Project” symbolizes the need to pass the baton in the locality. The seed planting is meant to be a recurring activity, where part of the harvest is stored as seed for the next planting season and to be supplied to other needy folks to prevent decapitating food poverty permanently.
Impactful and long-lasting change is a product of small, consistent, strategic, and targeted
action, like the Dorcas women’s program.

Just like a seed, the fruits of this program on the local women are transformational.

Experts advise that the wholesome way to prevent food poverty is through providing financial resources, training, and skills, as done by this program.

These vulnerable groups need people to take a chance on them, to stand with and guide them. On behalf of the Dorcas Women group, we send our deepest gratitude to Ms. Pat for this initiate.

References

Derose, L. (nd). 4. Food poverty.
https://archive.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu22we/uu22we0c.htm.

The World Bank. (2023). Food Security Update | World Bank Response to Rising Food
Insecurity. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/food-security-update.
Food Security Update | World Bank

Written By: Shamim Atira