Lobur Mission is known for its agricultural programme called Furrows in the Desert (FID) which has been in existence for more than 12 years. This mission is located in the semi-arid Turkana County at the northern part of Kenya. The activities of FID includes desert farming which also includes vegetables and maize, hay farming and dairy goat farming.
FID has also introduced a new poultry farming project focussing on layers. This new farming project has made Lobur Mission more agriculturally orientated.
The poultry layer farming project was started by Fr. Joseph Githinji and John Rhiga in 2022. The project was fruitful in 2023, producing a daily average of 210 eggs which we were able to supplement the food given to undernourished kids at the Mother and Child Centres (MCCs).
Lobur mission is under Sts. Joachim and Anne Parish has 12 MCCs with a total of 2000 children. The age range of the children is between 3 to 7 years. This project plays the role of improving the nutritional health of the children at the centres. Each center receives 8 trays of eggs in a week.
With this egg-supplement, the contented villagers are more eager to send their children to the MCCs resulting in an increase in the number of children. These centres are not just feeding centres but are also places where the children receive basic pre-primary education and daily life skills such as hygiene and sanitation. This project has helped to boost our education activities for children.
This year 2025 we see a need to add 150 more layers so that we can provide for an additional 2 more MCCs, that is an additional 210 children. We are looking forward to reaching out to many more children who still need help and attention for their nutrition and education.
By John Rhiga
MCSPA Apprentice,
Lobur Mission (KENYA)
