New Ways recieves funding of £160,000 from the Medicor Foundation
New Ways is delighted to announce it has received funding of £160,000 from the Medicor Foundation, an independent, charitable foundation committed to supporting and promoting sustainable development. The funding is being used to install a series of wind pumps on boreholes at six locations in the Ilemi Triangle in Turkana, northern Kenya. The wind pumps will increase the volume of water to the level required for irrigation purposes to support the expansion of agricultural activities in the area.
The Ilemi Triangle is in the Turkana North District of the Rift Valley province of northern Kenya. A semi-arid land where temperatures are high and rains scarce, it is isolated from the rest of the country by surrounding mountain ranges and Lake Turkana, and is a great plain of sand and volcanic rock bordering Sudan and Ethiopia. The people are nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralists who focus on their livestock. Historically agriculture did not feature in their way of life due predominantly to a lack of water resources and infrastructure in the region.
Whether simply growing vegetables at home or on an allotment, developing agriculture at any level is a complex process and demands a long term commitment. In such an inhospitable environment as the Ilemi Triangle the challenges, complexities and commitment needed to successfully cultivate food are significantly greater. In order for agricultural activities to flourish at all it is critical to first establish a reliable and accessible water source. Where existing boreholes have been drilled the local communities have been able to establish small plots to grow fruit and vegetables. After more than a year growing crops at these locations, the soil has become enriched, and as the water yield is increased by installing wind pumps, even more families will have an opportunity to be involved in agriculture. The wind pumps, will deliver at least 5 times more water than the existing hand pumps - with no human effort involved - while the water storage tanks and irrigation pipes allow the community to till and farm on a much larger plot of land.
This generous funding award extends our 5 year partnership with Medicor which has been extremely valuable to the local people. With this support, since 2007 we have been able to provide food and a basic education to over 2,000 nomadic and semi-nomadic children aged 2 - 7 years, establish water resources and build nursery schools at 9 locations, and start to develop small scale farming as part of an ongoing agricultural programme. The installation of these wind pumps helps to achieve the primary aim of an agricultural activity which is to help improve the diet and nutrition of the local people and to enable them to become self-sufficient.
Author: William Carson
Date: Friday, June 24, 2011
Source: New Ways