Thursday, October 16, is the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) World Food Day, which for 2025 is calling for global collaboration in creating a peaceful, sustainable, prosperous, and food-secure future.
“By working together, across governments, organizations, sectors, and communities, we can transform agrifood systems to ensure that everyone has access to a healthy diet, living in harmony with the planet,” states the FAO.
To that end, Bread and Water for Africa® started working decades ago to assist our sub-Saharan African partners such as the Baraka Farm which provides food for orphaned children in Kenya, a banana plantation, vegetable gardens and aquaculture project to provide tilapia fish for children at the Kabwata Orphanage and Transit Center in Zambia as well as supporting agriculture training programs for smallholder farmers in Malawi and Sierra Leone.
Most recently, thanks to the supporters of Bread and Water for Africa®, we are developing an agricultural operation for the Watoto Wa Africa (WWA – Children of Africa) orphanage, which is home to more than 100 orphaned and abandoned children in Tanzania.
In 2024, Bread and Water for Africa® provided funding to purchase eight hectares (nearly 20 acres) of land, which has been plowed and planted with sorghum grain (a nutritious food rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins and minerals), sweet potatoes, corn, greens and more to benefit the children and youth who call the WWA orphanage home.
Today, we are working to transform six of those hectares (14.8 acres) of land into a sustainable and productive farm that will improve food security and nutrition for the children and enhance the orphanage’s self-reliance by generating income from the sale of surplus produce.
WWA director Josephat Kriutu notes that the project will be implemented in two parts, starting with the installation of a drip irrigation system on one hectare (2.47 acres) to grow high-value crops such as vegetables and tomatoes throughout the year.
“This will ensure a consistent supply of nutritious food for the children, reduce dependency on market purchases and enable us to sell surplus produce to generate income,” says Josephat.
On the second part of the project on the remaining five hectares (12.3 acres), Josephat will be implementing conservation farming methods, known as Farming God’s Way (FGW), to grow cereals and other staple crops. (Earlier this year, Bread and Water for Africa® arranged for Josephat to travel to Malawi to learn FGW practices from our partner there, Alex Steven Bango, chairperson of the Faithful Heart Foundation which trains farmers in the no-till, soil conservation method.)
“After a successful learning visit to Malawi to meet Pastor Alex – an expert in FGW and drip irrigation – we are ready to apply these proven methods to our orphanage’s agricultural land in Buswelu Village, Mwanza Region,” stated Josephat. “This will restore soil health, improve yields and reduce costs over time while aligning with our faith-based values.
“This project is both a step toward sustainability and a platform for training and transformation.
“It reflects our commitment to stewarding the land God has entrusted to us and caring for His children with dignity and wisdom.”
