We have initiated a banana nursery in the village of Big Tree, with the assistance of Phoebe, a local agriculturalist. The farmers in Big Tree are very poor with small plots of land – that is perfect for banana trees. With the urging of the local agricultural center, we are building a banana nursery to allow other villages to purchase their banana seedlings from Big Tree, as well as each farmer planting their own banana trees for food and income. To date, there are 400 seedlings planted – both cooking and ripening bananas. Over 100 farmers are participating in this program – that means over 100 families will have more food and income!

This project was started with combined funds from OWI and the farmers. The monies raised have not been sufficient to cover all of the building materials due to the rise in the cost of supplies because of the violence in Kenya. We need $1000 to complete this project. Once fully established, the income earned from selling the seedlings at the nursery will pay for the maintenance of the nursery. Therefore, this program is self-sustaining. We have requests to take this training program into other poor farming communities. To be able to do this, we need to pay a salary to Phoebe. If you wish to contribute toward this farming program, please designate “OWIBAN” on your donation. Any questions about this program, please direct to Karen Helphand at khelphand@hotmail.com. Asante sana!!