The main goal of the food security program is to improve the nutritional status of children in the six rescue homes and the surrounding communities through sustainable agriculture. Food security program aims at achieving food sustainability in the six rescue homes and the surrounding communities through implementation of sustainable food production and income generating activities.
This has been achieved through capacity building of rescue home children and staffs on the use of modern farming techniques such as drip irrigation, green house technology and commercial production of improved local chicken. Provision of adequate high quality food for children in the rescue homes has been the greatest challenge over the years in sustaining rescued children in the homes. This is a result of multiple factors including rainfall failure, increased inflation leading to increased food prices and reduced community contribution.
The cost of supporting orphaned and vulnerable children in the rescue homes is high due to huge budget allocation on food for the children as opposed to other important infrastructural development or other recurrent costs. AICCAD in partnership with the ministry of agriculture and other development partners has ensured that each of the rescue homes has an established set of food security projects that contribute to the provision of adequate and balanced diets for children as well as income generation to support other rescue home activities.
ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED UNDER FSP
• Capacity building for children and staffs in rescue homes on agri-business and entrepreneurship
• Greenhouse vegetable production
• Open field vegetable production
• Commercial poultry production
• Drip irrigation
• Fruit tree nurseries
• Commercial tissue culture banana production
• Dairy farming
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM
• FSP has contributed to 40% of the total food budget for the rescue homes thus improving the quality of food provided for the children
• The FSP has supplemented budgets for other rescue home activities by 20% thus improving service delivery to children
• The FSP has been a centre for learning new farming techniques to the surrounding communities and a centre for production of high quality crop and animal breeds for the community
• The long term objective for the FSP is to ensure the sustainability of the six rescue homes. The FSP has been generating income for the six rescue homes geared towards self sustainability.