For vulnerable children and rural families across Africa, self-sustainability is more than a goal — it is a pathway to better nutrition, stronger livelihoods, and lasting hope. Through Bread and Water for Africa®’s support, partners in Zambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malawi, and Sierra Leone are using fish farming, vegetable gardens, dairy production, drip irrigation, and agricultural training to meet daily needs while building long-term independence. These programs help provide fresh, nutritious food for children, reduce operating costs for children’s homes, teach practical skills, and empower women and youth to turn farming into a reliable source of income. Together, these efforts are helping communities move from survival toward stability, dignity, and a more secure future.
Kabwata Children's Home, Zambia
At the Kabwata Children’s Home in Zambia, Bread and Water for Africa® provides support for self-sustainability projects such as fish farming, vegetable gardening, and growing staple crops.
“These initiatives are primarily designed to support the nutritional and operational needs of the home,” explains founder and director Angela Miyanda.
“The fish farming project was initiated to improve the children’s nutritional intake by providing a regular source of protein, while also serving as a potential income-generating activity through the sale of surplus harvests.
“It contributes fresh fish to our meal programs and offers occasional surplus for sale, with proceeds reinvested into daily operations.”
In addition, Kabwata’s medium-scale vegetable garden produces seasonal crops such as tomatoes, cabbage, pumpkin leaves, onions, and local herbs.
“This project plays a dual role—supplying nutritious food to our children and providing basic agricultural skills training to older children,” she said.
“The vegetable garden was designed to supply fresh, organic produce for daily meals, thereby reducing food costs and improving diet quality. It also serves as an informal skills-building activity for older children.”
And Angela says its long-term goal is to develop “a resilient, sustainable garden capable of supplying most vegetable needs and contributing meaningfully to the home’s financial ecosystem.”
Currently, the program is benefitting 150 individuals, consisting mainly of children in the Kabwata Home, others in supervised homes, as well as some who are receiving support in the community.
Angela added that she wants the supporters of Bread and Water for Africa® to know that “your generosity goes far beyond funding a program—it truly transforms lives.
“Every gift helps provide vulnerable children with stability, care, and a safe place to belong.
“Your support allows us to meet daily needs, offer education, promote health, and guide children toward a brighter future.”
Baraka Farm, Kenya
Bread and Water for Africa® began our agricultural support program in sub-Saharan Africa in the 1990’s through the establishment of the Baraka (Blessed) Farm in Kenya to benefit the children living at the Lewa Children’s Home.
Baraka Farm was founded with the mission of providing food and revenue to support the orphans living at the adjacent Lewa Children’s Home. The farm provides much-needed wholesome, healthy foods, including milk and cheese from its dairy-producing operation, with the surplus being sold in the marketplace.
Lerato Children’s Home, Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, Margaret Makambira, founder and director of the Lerato Children’s Home, is running various income-generating projects to help achieve self-sufficiency, and last August, she told us the home is expanding its income-generating projects, including the horticultural program through drip irrigation.
And in January, social worker Rumbidzai Chadamoyo reported grant funding from Bread and Water for Africa® to maintain a nutritional garden where a variety of vegetables were cultivated.
“The produce from the garden contributed significantly to food security and assisted in reducing the risk of malnutrition, stunted growth, and nutrition-related illnesses among the children.”
She also reported that during the past year, no cases of malnutrition were identified, stating, “All children demonstrated healthy weight gain and overall improvement in nutritional status.”
Specifically, she reported that “This progress is evidenced by the change in the three children that were recently placed at the Home.
“Through consistent nutritional support made possible by Bread and Water for Africa®, the three children have achieved significant weight gain and no longer show any signs of malnutrition.
“The Home is grateful for the continuous support from Bread and Water for Africa®, which enabled the development to move towards self-reliance.”
Farmers Training Program, Sierra Leone
In Sierra Leone, Bread and Water for Africa® provides support to two agricultural training programs, Faith Healing Development Organization (FHDO) and Rural Youth Development Organization-Sierra Leone (RYDO-SL).
Faith Healing Development Organization
FHDO program manager/coordinator Francis A.B. Rogers explains that their project involves the empowerment and capacity building of economically active rural women and youths through training in business and management skills, and the provision of materials in Sogbini chiefdom, Bonthe district, and Makare (Yengesah) chiefdom, Bombali district, which benefits the 80 women and 20 men directly, along with 667 family members in their households, and more than 35,000 individuals indirectly in the communities.
“Farming is the primary source of sustenance and income for the rural people of Sierra Leone, and it is at the subsistence level,” he reported. “The old, primitive agricultural practices that persist to date are primarily due to a lack of farming capital to adopt and engage in modern, capital-intensive farming practices that enhance food self-sufficiency.
“Most women and youths in the Sogbini and Makare (Yengesah) chiefdoms, where FHDO operates, are unskilled and lack knowledge of enterprise development, petty trading, and related activities, let alone capital for a startup,” says Francis, noting that “the grant support assists us in successfully empowering and carrying out capacity-building/skills training for poor rural women and youths for self-reliance.”
Rural Youth Development Organization-Sierra Leone
RYDO-SL program director Joseph Kobba reported that grant funding from Bread and Water for Africa® last year empowered 75 economically active rural women and male youths with capacity building with training in farming, business and management skills and provided them with the materials.“In Sierra Leone, farming continues to be the backbone of Sierra Leone’s economy, yet most rural households struggle to feed their families,” he explains.
“Over 90 percent of households depend on farming, but productivity remains low because most smallholders rely on subsistence methods, hand tools, and little knowledge of modern practices.
“The core problem this project addresses is the lack of skills, resources, and opportunities that prevent women and youth from turning farming into a reliable source of income. Without modern techniques, post-harvest management, or access to markets, most smallholders remain trapped in poverty.”
The project’s goal is to break that cycle by providing trainees with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to transform their farms from subsistence plots into small enterprises.
“This support goes a long way in transforming of the economic and social lives our rural poor women and male youths.”
At Bread and Water for Africa®, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our generous donors and supporters who place their trust in us to advance our agriculture and food self-sustainability programs. Your contributions make a significant impact on the lives of families throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Through these initiatives, we are dedicated to empowering communities by promoting sustainable farming practices, enhancing food security, and fostering economic independence. We aim to reach even more families and villages, transforming lives one community at a time.
