CRS Rice Bowl: A Story of Hope from Kenya

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CRS Rice Bowl shares stories of hope from Catholic Relief Services’ work around the world. These stories are examples of the communities where your Lenten alms are changing lives. Stories are accompanied by a simple, meatless recipe that you and your family are encouraged to prepare on Fridays during Lent.

(CRS) Turkana, Kenya is very hot and dry. Temperatures reach the mid-90s year-round. Most people in this area raise livestock such as goats and camels, and a few are farmers. But the climate makes this work difficult – and climate change is making it even harder.

Rebecca and her husband, Lotiang, have farmed and raised goats for years. They rely on rain and river water to irrigate their crops and feed their animals. But it is raining less and less in Turkana, and when it does rain it can be unpredictable and intense, leading to floods that wash away the seeds.

“We struggled to water our farms,” Rebecca says.

Rebecca and Lotiang have worked hard so their family can thrive. Their determination – and hope for their children’s futures – helped them overcome the challenges they faced.

They participated in a Catholic Relief Services program that installed a water well in their village and trained them in new farming techniques. With the well and solar-powered pump, they can irrigate their fields regularly and take care of their goats. Their children love to help with the goats.

Lotiang learned to grow kale, which provides nutrition for his family and can be sold for a high price at the market. Rebecca is grateful that her children can eat healthy food every day. She is also happy that she can send them to school using money from the produce Lotiang sells at the market.

Rebecca and Lotiang have become leaders in their community and teach others what they learned so that everyone can benefit.

“I learned much in CRS’ program,” Rebecca says. “It is a program that has changed my life. I am trying to show my community what I am able to do so that they can emulate it for a better future. Through that I will change my community.”