Kenya is an impoverished nation, with over 16 million of its 40 million inhabitants living below the poverty line.
The statistics are hard to digest: 35% of children-under-five are stunted, 16% are underweight and 7% are wasted. If these children don’t get stable access to food and proper nutrition, many of them will suffer mental and physical health issues permanently.
For this reason, OnePlate is excited to partner with a Children’s Eco-Village, that looks after over 100 children at risk of starvation.
The Village sits about 350km east of Nairobi, in the highlands of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. It was established in 2007, with a mission to break the poverty cycle through high quality education and holistic care.
It is a place of joy in a land that often doesn’t have many reasons to celebrate. It has a nursery, primary school and two boarding houses on a five-hectare property with a large farm, greenhouses and training centre.
In a plot of unused land, near the greenhouse, is a perfect location for an orchard, but the Village did not have the funds to build it.
So our superstar OnePlate restaurant partners have pledged to raise $6,000 to establish and build a fruit tree orchard at the Village.
Working with the local community and volunteers, the soil was prepared, the netting installed and the trees planted.
The fruit tree orchard is starting with bananas. Bananas not only grow well in the climate, but have the added benefit of being good fodder for the dry season, where resources are scarce. Since 2008 Kenya has struggled with severe droughts, and the orchard will help guarantee year long supply of produce.
The farmers at the village are keen to also try other, more exotic fruits, such as citrus and apple. Being winter fruits, this will provide a stable source of nutrients all year round.
OnePlate is thrilled to partner with this thriving little corner in Kenya, to ensure it continues to grow for many seasons to come.
Want more good news? Read about our other completed projects on the Rooftops of Manila, or perhaps in the slums of Payatas.
