Meru Womens Garden Project launches on International women's day
This month is that we have launched our partnership with SIGBI. The Great Britain and Ireland branch of this inspiring women's organisation will be fundraising to support the women of Meru in Kenya.
The launch
A dinner in Canterbury on International Women's Day got the campaign off to a great start, with words from Child.org's Managing Director Thomas, and a presentation of the first fundraising cheque from SIGBI: for £1000!
The Project
By supporting women in the community, Child.org can lift families out of poverty by opening up new opportunities for their children to have enough to eat and go to school.
We work in areas where many women have lost their husbands to HIV/AIDs, or been abandoned by husbands who left to look for work and never returned. In these most rural of areas, women can leave school early for many reasons ranging from child marriage to FGM, and be left without the knowledge they need to grow food and support their families.
Child.org partners will work with these women to give them extensive training in growing healthy maize, vegetable crops and fruit trees. This valuable knowledge can be passed on to other women in the community and to their children, effectively leading whole communities out of hunger in a way that is self-sufficient, with everyone able to grow the food they need.
The project provides sustainable gardening techniques and tools, enabling women to become mentors and pioneers of agricultural sustainability within the community. We also educate girls on their rights, empowering them to stand up to damaging cultural practices like FGM.
By providing economic opportunities to women and girls, Meru Women's Garden Project will achieve long term change by strengthening entire communities; improving the lives and opportunities for children and generations to come.
Here are some photographs from Meru:
For more infomation on the project, check out meruwomen.org.