FRONTIERS CHILDREN DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (FCDO), in collaboration with SAPCONE and SAMBURU CHILDREN PROJECT (SCP), successfully concluded a two-day OFSP donor visit that took place on the 21st and 22nd of February 2024. The visit commenced with a tour to OFSP farms in Nanyee, where the donor, represented by Dr. Werner Kuepper, witnessed firsthand the impact of the Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (OFSP) Project on local farmers. The warm reception from the farmers reflected their heartfelt appreciation for the project’s benefits.
Following the farm visits, the donor participated in the grand official opening of an OFSP processing factory plant in Nadapal Village, Turkwel Ward, Loima Sub-County. Mary Longorio Ekuwom, the chairlady of Etic Women group, expressed gratitude for the positive changes brought about by the OFSP Project. She highlighted how “OFSP has improved food security, generated incomes, and supported children’s education, attributing these advancements to the collaborative efforts of FCDO, Child Fund Kenya and BMZ ChildFund Deutschland”.
The OFSP project, funded by BMZ ChildFund Deutschland and implemented by local partners FCDO in Loima Sub- County and SAPCONE in Turkana Central Sub- County in Turkana County, together with Samburu Children Projectme in Samburu North Sub-County in Samburu County, focuses on promoting the cultivation and consumption of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes rich in beta-carotene, Zinc, iron and vital source of Vitamin A.
On the second day of the visit, the delegation visited OFSP farms in Nangitony and Lobokomaran villages in Kerio Delta Ward, Turkana Central, where they engaged with successful farmers like, Godfrey Aemun Eleman who reaped a bountiful OFSP harvest in 2023, selling it for Kes. 1.4 million. Eleman remarked, “Thanks to the Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) harvest, I’ve upgraded my house, paid fees for my 3 university and 2 high school children, built a modern toilet, set up a retail shop for my wife, and expanded my business.”
Since its inception in 2020, the OFSP Project has made significant strides in enhancing the resilience and livelihoods of vulnerable farming households in Turkana and Samburu Counties. Key achievements include improving the economic and nutritional health of 12,000 children reached through ECD feeding Project, Kitchen gardens and cooking demos, as well 3000 women and 2,200 youth reached, through the adoption of innovative OFSP technologies as seen development of new products and recipes, establishment of ECD feeding Projects, and expansion of market opportunities for OFSP products.
With its focus on resilience and livelihood enhancement, the OFSP Project continues to make a tangible difference, reaching thousands of children, women, and youth.
#OFSP #ChildFund Kenya #Frontiers Children Development Organization #SAPCONE #Samburu Children Projectme (SCP) #CommunityEmpowerment #Nutrition
