A Change Story-Mwikali Kivivya

Basic Information

Partner Name:

Anglican Development Services Eastern

Project Name:

Integrated Livelihood Improvement Project

Project Location:

Kitungati Location, Mbitini ward, Kitui County

Child /Community Representative Name:

Mwikali Kivivya

Date of Interview:

July 15^th, 2020

Have you informed the person (interviewee) that the information and photos collected may be used for publicity purposes and gained their informed consent?  yes

Interview Questions

Tell me about your family (Basic Family Information)?

My name is Mwikali Kivivya a member of Mukundi disabled self-help group an affiliate member group to Kitungati Development CBO. The group is located in Matua village, Kitungati location, Kitui rural sub county in Kitui county. Am married to Kivivya Mutinda, as a family God blessed us with 7 children namely; Musee, Lena, Katunda, Caren, Esther, David and Matata all in Primary School. My late sister left behind a deaf child with blurred speech whom I take care of. Our major economic activity in our 4 acre land is farming. We grow sorghum, maize, cowpeas and beans. We also grow sunflower to get feed for our poultry.

How are you and your family involved with the project?

Being a member to Mukundi Disabled, a group member to Kitungati Development CBO, which we were facilitated to form by ADSE in 2018, has given me the privilege to access trainings on; improved farming methods, soil and water conservation, tree nursery establishment, hygiene and sanitation and poultry production among others. Through the training on poultry production I have been able to start a poultry project in my farm and the chicken have increased to 80. ADSE linked us to the ward veterinary officer who trained us on construction of poultry house and already have sold 10 chicken and bought bricks to construct a house that can accommodate 100 birds.

What was your life like before being involved with the project?

Before involvement with the project our group membership was decreasing due to conflicts, but now ADSE has trained us severally on group governance and conflict resolution. The group is now coherent and executing many activities to improve our living conditions.

As a family, we had hardly enough food for the family due to the poor farming methods employed in the farm. My chicken used to die at very tender age due to curable poultry disease. We didn’t have an extra source of income in the family except from the farming business and most of the times we could not eat a balanced diet due to lack of knowledge and money and this led to many nutritional diseases. We could not afford any new clothes in the family and more so for orphaned Wambua and mostly had to wear tattered clothes which was a big shame for me in the community and my children would have low self-esteem and could not happily play with other children in school and at the community.

How has your life changed since being involved with the project?

Child: Nowadays I am very happy because I take enough food which is balanced and my aunt even cooks eggs for me in the morning. I have many clothes which are good and I wear them as I go to Sunday school. Sometimes my auntie slaughters a hen and I am very happy during such moments when we eat meat in the family.

Parent: In the family we have a constant source of income from the sale of chicken for I have knowledge on poultry nutrition and the management aspect of disease which has added to the increase of my flock size. Feeding my chicken has been so easy for I have knowledge on establishment of crops used in poultry feed formulation like sunflower plant which makes them me them healthy. There are no cases of malnutrition in the family because the extra savings from the sale chicks are geared towards meeting our daily household dietary needs. I have also experienced increased crop yields after ADSE in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture trained us on good agronomic practices. My children and the orphaned child of my sister wear nice clothes and are jovial while playing with other children. Their performance in school has improved a lot.

What else would you like to see changed in your community? Or, what do you want for your future?

 I would like to be trained more on poultry feed formulation and as a group ADSE to support us with a posho mill and feed mixer to enable us engage in commercial poultry feed formulation and packaging for sale. There is need for electrification in our rural home for lighting our houses and for our children to be able to study at night. There is also need for increased access to portable water within the community for we only rely on water from the rivers which is not safe for drinking. The road infrastructure in our locality is very poor and impassable when going to our farms and market centres.

How do these changes and the project make you feel?

Child: I feel very happy for I get enough food and my aunt buys clothes for me.

Parent: I feel very grateful because I can see a healthy and happy children in my house.

Other comments from the interviewee?

I greatly thank the people who sat down and thought of this vision for our community for it was timely when our community mostly needed it and request the organization to provide us with more trainings for maximum attainment of our goals.

Comments by the Interviewer

Interviewers name and title:

Charles Mutuku-Project Officer, ADSE

Observations of interviewee and their family situation

Wambua looks happy and healthy. Though with the blurred speech he struggles to talk to express his happiness within the family circles. The care giver of Wambua is very happy with a lot of unhidden joy in her face due to the success accomplished in the life of his family through improved family income through the improved farm production and the success of the poultry project and improved health in the family.

Why was this person chosen to be interviewed?

Wambua’s (Orphan) care giver is an active member of Mukundi disabled self-help group which is one of the affiliate groups to Kitungati Development CBO. She has great passion in poultry rearing enterprise since it has brought great change in the family.

Describe the project area

The target area is found in the dry areas of Kitui county .The only water source in the village is a seasonal river, Mwiwe. All the families in the area rely on farming and rearing of livestock due to the low amount of rainfall of 250mm-350mm per year and the crop yields are always depressed. There is one dispensary in the area with only one health officer serving a total of 1881 households. Kitungati primary school which is the only primary school in the village has a population of 166 boys, 155 girls and 18 teachers. The dominant domination in the area is Christianity. 

State the project activities being implemented in the project area

Environmental conservation trainings, Agricultural trainings, Economic empowerment (VSLA), Poultry farming, Hygiene and sanitation, Water activities, Child protection and Livestock production.

List photos taken:

1. Mwikali, Husband and orphan Wambua outside their family house.

2. The couple outside the family house.       

3. Orphaned Wambua photo.

4.  As the family feeds their chicken collectively.      

5. The couple in their sorghum farm.

6. The couple in their sorghum farm.