Growing Food, Opportunity, and Hope: Gatune Farm & Huruma Children’s Home Updates
Since December 2023, Gatune Farm in Ngong, Kenya, has been a beacon of growth, not only in acres cultivated but in lives transformed. With five acres of land under cultivation and an efficient irrigation system in place, the farm has been providing fresh vegetables to 450 students at Huruma Children’s Home since August 2024.
Exciting things are happening at Gatune Farm in Ngong, Kenya, made possible by your incredible support. From feeding students to transforming lives and landscapes, here’s a glimpse into the progress:
Transformative Infrastructure Updates
This year, we’ve made significant strides in building the foundation for long-term impact:
On-site water is now available, and electricity is on the way!
A Kenyan agency is planting hundreds of fruit trees around the farm to serve as both a natural barrier and a nutrition source for students.
A $7,000 disbursement has kickstarted the educational building project, making the classroom fully functional with essential features such as desks, chairs, internet, laptops, and a projector. This classroom will be a vital resource for 17 Huruma high school graduates in their one-year paid internship at Gatune Farm.
What’s Next?
We’re halfway to our goal of raising $17,500 the education phase, to complete the educational building’s classroom infrastructure and supplies. Following that, we’ll launch a $19,500 agriculture fundraiser to bring:
Drip irrigation systems
A greenhouse
Farming equipment
Support for a full-time farm manager
Looking Forward
The goal is clear: to create a hub where students can learn, grow, and thrive, all while fostering sustainable agriculture.
Your support is turning Gatune Farm into more than just a farm—it’s a place where food, education, and hope flourish. Thank you for being part of this journey! Together, we’re transforming lives and building brighter futures.
Let’s keep growing! Support the next phase of Gatune’s development and be part of this exciting transformation. 🌱
““The Gatune project is transforming lives by providing nutritious meals to over 400 children from its produce, ensuring their well-being and fostering a healthier, brighter community.”
Koinadugu College: transforming a region through higher education
Feeding Mouths and Filling Minds is partnering with Project 1808 to bring the first higher education institute to the Koinadugu District of Sierra Leone - giving these young people the opportunity of a lifetime.
Status: Fundraising
Fundraising Goal: $85,000
Transforming a region through higher education
Feeding Mouths Filling Minds is contributing to bringing the first higher education institute to the Koinadugu District of Sierra Leone - giving these young people the opportunity of a lifetime.
Education provides the key to job security, community growth and individual wellness. However, options are limited for high-performing young people after high school in Kabala, Sierra Leone. The nearest university is hours away - making living at home while attending school impossible. Most families make less than $90/month, and college tuition costs run upwards of $500/semester. In order to pay for room, board and school fees, some young people turn to prostitution just to obtain an education. Others opt to take a low-skill job in Kabala instead of continuing their education.
Establishing the University of Koinadugu in one of the most isolated districts of Sierra Leone, will empower youth and improve community livelihood in the district and country.
Our role
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds is helping to guide the strategic planning to be sure the project is secure and sustainable for the long term. This means assessing the land in-person with members of our team, carefully selecting trustworthy partners to oversee the development and providing funding.
Project funding covers the cost of:
Main Academic Building
This three-room building is where the majority of classes at Koinadugu College will occur. Construction for the main building began in January 2018.
Endowment Fund
In the spirit of sustainability, we have developed an endowment fund from the onset of creating the college. We have built the college because there are clear immediate needs, yet we are not only thinking about the here and now.
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds is contributing the initial $10,000 for endowment. The broader Koinadugu College team is establishing the governing guidelines of the endowment and the Board team to make decisions about the underlying investments.
Partners
School Lunch in Liberia
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds is helping Humanity Care Liberia who is leading this project on the ground locally. They have donated a plot of land in order to grow crops. Education and interaction with the children of the schools are also a focus of this project.
Gardens Combatting Hunger
STATUS: FUNDRAISING
2020 FUNDRAISING GOAL: $15,000
FMFM's team visited Liberia and met with our partners, Humanity Care Liberia, in January 2017 to learn about the challenges facing schoolchildren in the region. Together, we found that the schools in the region are unable to provide meals to the children during the school day - resulting in hungry children, truancy and shorter school days. Humanity Care Liberia is led by a local couple, with degrees in agriculture and experience working with local communities to teach them about sustainable agriculture. They oversee the development of our garden projects working directly with school leadership and ensure sustainability by educating caretakers, students and teachers about farming and crop-growing techniques.
our role
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds is raising funds to expand our garden programs to even more schools. This includes covering the cost of getting the plot of land ready for farming, such as:
Fencing to keep the land secure from scavengers
Farming tools such as shovels, buckets, rakes, etc.
Seeds and cassava root yuccas for planting the crop
Farm upkeep and maintenance costs
Our team will continue to work with Humanity Care Liberia to assess the farming options, and will assure that the school children have a chance to learn about the growing process so that they not only benefit nutritionally, but learn something in the process.