Kenya: Anna Achieng - Learning valuable lessons!

Anna is 17 and a day student in Form 3 at Ondati Girls school in Kenya. She lives with her mother, Maureen and older brother Vincent. Anna’s father died when she was 9 years old and since then the family have struggled to make ends meet in one of the poorest regions in East Africa. Although being blessed with a stretch of fertile land and a few dairy cows, the family have struggled to produce enough vegetables and the family was unsure how to improve their cow’s milk yield. Anything that did grow was used by the family and no money was brought in despite the potential they had from the land.

 This changed when Anna became involved with the agricultural businesses at school. Technical skills such as weeding, which she learnt on Ondati’s pineapple patch, were applied to her family’s own potato patch. “The skills I have learnt at school I have also applied at home and as a result we are in better position than before”

A dairy farm at the school and an educational trip to Onyani Farm meant Anna was exposed to the correct way to manage dairy cows, she saw cows being sprayed regularly and living in proper sheds containing wastage systems (Anna’s brother Vincent was duly informed to construct one on her return!).

Nowadays the family are in a position to sell surplus produce and are now saving money to send Anna to University. Amazing how beneficial paying attention during the agricultural workshops at school can do!