SANGO Diaries, Ch. 53. Celebrating Women and Food Security

International Day of Rural Women

World Food Day

Celebrating SANGO-Kenya Farmers!

This week, across the globe, organizations, communities, and individuals will be holding events to recognize rural women and the importance of food security. The International Day of Rural Women, celebrated today, the 15th of October, and World Food Day, celebrated tomorrow, honor two key subjects that get to the heart of SANGO-Kenya: the heroic role that rural women play in their families and their communities, and the importance of strengthening food security across the globe.

“Every day, they [rural women] feed communities, protect the environment, and power sustainable development. Investing in them is both an act of justice and a safeguard for our shared future.”

This description of rural women, part of the UN statement recognizing the International Day of Rural Women, captures the heart and essence of SANGO-Kenya. From our beginning in 2020, we have partnered with women smallholder farmers to help them improve their food security, as well as that of their children, their households, and their communities.

We train them in sustainable farming practices, focusing on African traditional greens, cassava, and sorghum, so they are maximizing their harvests throughout the two rainy seasons as well as in between.

We train the farmers to preserve the vegetables by drying them, so they can continue to feed themselves and their families after the end of the harvest season. Some of the farmers report that they continue to have vegetables for as much as two months after the end of the rainy season!

The result? Healthier mothers and children.
Mothers frequently tell us that their children are healthier since they joined SANGO-Kenya and started growing and eating vegetables. “You can see it by looking at them,” they frequently say. Their skin is clearer — before they would have sores, but since eating so many vegetables, they don’t have them any more. They’re sick less frequently, so have to go to the doctor less.