Ripple Effect Launches I4RR Project To Reduce Women Workload In Bungoma County

By Isabella Maua

Ripple Effect Kenya has this week rolled out a three-year project plan in Bungoma County dubbed ‘Scaling Innovations 4 Reduced and Redistributed Women’s Unpaid Care Work in Smallholder Livestock Farming.’

I4RR is aimed at appreciating the work women do in their households and small-scale farming projects like kitchen gardens and feeding livestock without being paid by anyone for their laborious efforts.

While addressing self-help groups in Kopsiro, Kibingei, and Sirisia sub counties, Beatrice Were, the program manager, encouraged more residents to form groups so that they could benefit from the project and improve livelihoods.

“We have so far handed over 50 knapsack sprayer pumps and over 100 conical gardens to more than 15 self-help groups across the sub counties we have traversed,” reported Were.

She accentuated that they are keen on using innovative methods to do projects that generate money besides ensuring families are food secure.

Godfrey Sirkoi, a peer farmer trainer for Kospiro Survivors Self-Help Group, couldn’t hide his joy as he was handed over a spray pump and conical gardens, besides training on how to embrace modern crop farming technologies.

“Together with my group members, Ripple Effect has taught us how to plant bananas and vegetables in small land portions using new technologies like Fertility trenches and Tumbukiza trenches, which enable us to have plenty supply of vegetables and even sell surplus,” divulged Sirkoi.

Roseline Wasike, chairperson of Upendo Self Help Group in Kitayi, appreciated Ripple Effect for introducing to them modern grass for their livestock known as Shambaza, which is not only nutritious but also fast-growing and hardy.

According to Isaac Ogutu of Ripple Effect, introducing modern grass for livestock improves milk production and income to farmers as well as improved health, especially among children.

“We further intend to teach our farmers how to make organic fertilisers, which they will be using on their crops since there has been excessive use of inorganic fertilisers, which is harmful to the environment and humans,” cited Ogutu.

The 14RR is set to equip several other registered self-help groups with further trainings for youths and men on how to aid in demystifying gender roles in the western region, where women tend to be burdened with too many tasks.

Among other SHGs that benefitted were Wanakijiji, Visionary Youth and Wiyeta Groups in Sirisia, Biyenga, Ebenezer, and Bidii in Kibingei, and Mulembe women group in Kopsiro.