Kenni dreams of a brighter future as a vegetable farmer

Kenni Aju lives in Npusumuriya in the Nyangatom woreda of South Omo, Ethiopia. A mother of five, at 36 years-old she was struggling to provide for her children – a common problem for many families in her community.  Vita worked with Kenni’s community to introduce a vegetable farming project that would give families access to a sustainable livelihoods as well as a secure and nutritious food source. This is part of Vita’s ongoing work to ensure communities have the resilience to not only overcome poverty but climate change. 

Kenni Aju

Before the programme, Kenni was restricted in her ability to earn a living due to a lack of farming knowledge, no irrigation or water source thanks to environmental changes, and inaccessibility of the finance needed to buy the necessary agricultural equipment.   

Vita’s programme, in conjunction with the EU, focused on ensuring it was vulnerable women like Kenni who would be the first to benefit. She received skills training and attended knowledge-sharing workshops that taught her the necessary skills to begin a successful vegetable farming project. Necessary seeds and equipment were also provided, as well as the essential construction of a closely-managed irrigation system. 

Kenni Aju working on the farming lands

Working on cooperative farming lands with fellow participants of this vegetable programme, Kenni now is equipped with the tools, knowledge, irrigation facilities and support in the form of her fellow cooperative members and Vita staff, to build a new and bountiful career as a vegetable farmer. 

She continues to receive support from Vita as she prepares her plots and harvests her crops. Kenni can now start dreaming of a brighter future. When asked of her ambitions she simply says, “I have a plan to learn and work hard to change my life.”