Planting hope, restoring dignity

Ann, a 54-year-old mother of five children from Nyeri County in Kenya, wakes up every morning to the sight of her thriving onion and vegetable fields and the sound of her cows lowing in the shed. For Agnes, life has been full, busy, and nourishing. But just a few years ago, Ann recalls that life was very different. "Back then, feeding my children was always a struggle. Some days we had enough, but other days I would wonder where the next meal would come from," Ann says.

Before joining VisionFund in 2023, Ann barely afforded three meals a day for her five children and her one grandchild. To support their needs, she did manual jobs in other people's farms, earning KES 150 ($1) per day. She also resorted to informal merry-go-round groups in which each month members contributed money, and the entire lump sum was awarded to one member by ballot. Unfortunately, without a real financial structure and planning, it was not helpful. "You could go home with a big amount of money, but without a plan, it was quickly spent. It never changed our lives," Ann says. Things, however, changed when World Vision came and introduced the Saving for Transformation (S4T) training at her church. She learned how to save, borrow responsibly, and earn returns during share-outs

After the training, she joined the S4T group, Different Sisters, and participated in other trainings. Among these trainings are under the Transforming Household Resilience in Vulnerable Communities (THRIVE 2030), an integrated programme by World Vision and VisionFund that empowers parents economically to break the cycle of poverty. The approaches of the THRIVE 2030 programme include improving the agricultural value chain and market access, and managing farmers' natural resources. Ann specifically learned about best practices in farming, poultry raising, dairy production, and fruit farming. Around that time, she also borrowed her first loan of KES 50,000 ($386) from VisionFund Kenya, which she used to buy chickens and later a heifer, which became her first dairy cow. "That cow was special—it gave my children milk every day.

For the first time, I felt like I could give them the nutrition they needed," she says with pride. Still, farming was tough, especially amid frequent droughts and erratic rainfall driven by climate change. These conditions have led to water scarcity in the county, which was felt most by farmers. With no reliable water supply, Ann's family depended on rain-fed maise and beans. When a community water project was introduced, Ann saw new possibilities. She immediately cleared half an acre of land and planted onions and vegetables. Three months later, her hard work paid off. "When I harvested and sold the onions for KES 280,000 ($2,160), I could hardly believe it! I repaid my loan and still had enough to invest back into farming," she beams. Her success wasn't just about attaining financial stability, but also about restoring her dignity.

At that time, Ann's family lived in a small, leaking house that flooded whenever it rained. "People used to laugh at me. My house would flood, and when it rained, we got wet inside. It was painful, but I refused to give up. Together with my husband, we chose to take loans and invest so our children would not grow up in shame," Ann says. With her profits, Ann bought a water pump, planted more onions and vegetables, and later took another KES 60,000 ($463) loan to expand her farm.

Today, her three cows provide 20 litres of milk per day, which at KES 32 ($0.25) per litre adds up to KES 640 ($5) daily. She also recently harvested onions worth KES 100,000 ($772). Now, she has tripled her income and slowly her family's life began to change. Now, her children can enjoy school tours, buy school supplies, and eat a healthy, balanced diet from her garden, which includes vegetables, maise, eggs, chicken, and rabbits. "Before VisionFund, I was always stressed. Now, I can feed my children without worry. I even sell extra milk and vegetables to neighbours. I feel proud and respected," she adds. Ann's journey emphasises that when mothers have the right financial tools and livelihood skills, they are able to strengthen their livelihoods, secure reliable food sources, nourish their children, and restore their dignity.

This is also why World Vision and VisionFund are advocating for the ENOUGH campaign, with financial inclusion as part of the solution to ending child hunger and malnutrition.