HFW GARDEN: Permaculture, self-sufficiency and healthy diet

“Häuser für Waisenkinder e.V.” (HfW) works together with its partner association ‘Mbaga Orphaned Children's Center’ (MOCC) to help needy children in Siaya (Kenya) in their development. We offer education, healthy and adequate nutrition and medical care. The children, many of them orphans or half-orphans, can go to school, eat a hot meal twice a day and receive health care from a nurse, a child psychologist and state health insurance. 

With the financial and technological support of HfW, the farm and kitchen team provide healthy and varied meals for the schoolchildren in Siaya, even during the vacations! The three members of the farm team cultivate the field right behind the school with different types of grain and vegetables. An orchard has been planted and a small “forest” of fast-growing trees has also been planted so that they can harvest their own firewood for the large stove in the school kitchen. Rainwater is collected and a pump is used to pump water from the lower river into large tanks so that the field can also be irrigated during the dry season. This makes the school kitchen independent of market offers and prices at all times. In addition, everything comes from the field in organic quality, as no chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides are used on this permaculture field. 

The children in Siaya are often not only undernourished, but also malnourished, as they usually only (can) eat ugali (maize porridge) and sukumawiki (a type of cabbage). And nothing else. There is a lack of vitamins, fats, fiber, trace elements and other carbohydrates. The farm team is committed to diversity and grows chard, leeks, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplants, beans, corn, sweet potatoes, beet, carrots and much more. The school's own “medicine chest” is stocked with herbs and soon there will be mangoes and avocados in abundance. The banana and papaya trees are already being diligently harvested. 
Not only is it healthy and plentiful, it tastes good too!

Not only can the children eat healthy food at school, they also learn how to grow their own vegetables in the school garden lessons. 
 
The goals of the 2024/25 farm team
- Increase vegetable production due to higher market prices.
- Permaculture workshops for the parents of MOCC students and the village community.
- Establish a seed bank.
- Expand the tree nursery.
- Selling vegetables and home-grown seedlings.
- Own further training in permaculture, exchange and networking.