How the Kenya Fresh Farms Hunger Project (KATA Hunger Project) is going to help the food insecurity crisis in Kenya!❤️
The food crisis in Kenya is nothing new but it has worsened. The KATA Fresh Farm, located near Embu Kenya, and other participating farms are going to provide home-grown fresh fruits and vegetables to Kenyans in Need.
"My wife, Catherine, and I have traveled to Kenya several times since 2014 and have witnessed the food insecurity and poor nutrition crisis first hand," says KATA founder/director Bob Anderson.
"We built the Kenyan Athletics Training Academy (KATA) in Thika giving us a base including personnel in Kenya where we have fed, housed and trained distance runners since 2019.
"After doing some research on the food insecurity crisis my wife, our team in Kenya and I decided we needed to help.
"In August 2022 we finalized our plans on how we are going to help Kenyans in Need. The number of families we can help will be based on the support we get. With your support ❤️ we will make a difference."
The Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research Analysis reported recently that 14.5 million Kenyans face food insecurity and poor nutrition each year and at least 2.6 million Kenyans were said to be in a food insecurity crisis. Food insecurity is when people lack enough money, or resources, to ensure they can eat, aka Kenyans in Need.
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(Photos) KATA's manager Florence Kimiti (blue shirt) with Winnie Muriithi from the Women Farmer's Association who has partnered with KATA. They are standing by one of many garden beds already planted on the KATA Fresh Farm. Fifteen different vegetables will be grown on the farm. There was already 43 mature fruit trees on the property.
WHAT THIS PROJECT IS ALL ABOUT?
❤️1. Training and teaching runners from poor families on how to make distance running their profession so they can earn their own money for food and housing.
❤️2. Empowering, teaching and training women to be better more efficient farmers so they can provide for their family year around.
❤️3. Providing KATA Home-Grown Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for 13-weeks to Kenyans in Need at no cost to them. Kenyans who are going to bed hungry regularly.
❤️4. One Dollar (US) contributed by KATA suporters provides one pound of Home-Grown fresh fruits and vegetables.
❤️5. Each Kenyan in Need we select will be provided four kilo (8.8 pounds) of fresh fruits and vegetables once per week along with training so they can help themselves in the future.
KATA has already been helping distance runners pursue their dream of becoming a professional runner since 2019 so they can buy their own food. KATA's athletes do not pay for these services. Bob and Catherine cover these costs.
Now KATA will be working with women farmers to empower them and train them to be better and more efficent farmers. KATA has partnered with the Women Farmer's Association who will be doing most of the training.
(Photo) runners training recently at KATA in Thika. Many are from poor families and came to KATA for help. In addition to training, the athletes put in 20 hours per week on different KATA projects.
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(Photo) "We are working hard at our KATA Fresh Farm," says manager Florence Kimiti. "This was just idle land in July 2022 and already by October 10th we have most of the two acres planted."
Details of KATA 13-week program
(Photos) Bob Anderson with some local kids before the start of a race in front of the Kenya Athletics Training Academy (KATA) in Sept 2021.
Meet KATA director Bob Anderson
This project works with contributions from KATA ❤️ supportors. For every one US dollar contributed, one pound of home-grown fresh fruits and vegetables will be provided to a Kenyan in Need.
The first funding period ends Dec 1 and monthly there after. The first enrollment (where our Kenyans in Need are signed up) starts December 2 and monthly thereafter. The first week of providing food will be Dec 23.
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"Most likely you have heard about the food crisis here in Kenya," says Florence Kimiti, KATA manager. "It is really bad because of the pandemic, the worse drought in 40 years and the Russian-Ukraine conflict holding up food shipments."
Helping Struggling Women Farmers
"We have already been working with distance runners since 2019 with good success," says Bob. Obviously, no matter how talented a runner may be, he or she is not going to become a pro runner in 13 weeks. Click on link for more details on how this program works.
Here is how the KATA's 13-week program for Pro Runners works
(Photo) "We already have a base in Kenya, and my wife and I felt we should put together a program to help the insecurity food crisis," says Bob. "In addition to what we have been doing since 2019 at our Kenyan Athletics Training Academy in Thika, our athletes are deadicated to making our Kenyans in Need program work."
❤️ Millions of Kenyans, including children, go to bed hungry many days per week. Yet, there is available land and water sources that can be tapped into, to grow crops. With enough resources, land that is just sitting idle can produce tons of fresh fruits and vegetables.
(Photos) Brock Hinzmann and Bob Anderson running in Los Altos Hills, California. Bob and Brock got together to discuss the Kenya Fresh Farms Hunger Project.
"When Bob Anderson asked for my support in July 2022," says Brock Hinzmann, Chair, Silicon Valley Node for The Millennium Project. "I had no idea he would move things along so quickly. But I understand that is his style, and I like it. This is the type of sustainable project MP supports, and we are glad to be involved."
Brock, a well-known runner from the 80's and 90's running 2:19 at the Boston Marathon, also wanted to get involved personally. Besides contributing $1600, earmarked for operations and expansion, he volunteers a few hours weekly to the project.
(Photos) Florence with the local director of the Women Farmer's Association of Kenya. Work is almost finished on the well for water and the 800 square foot barn that will be used to process and store the KATA food.
The Women Farmer's Association of Kenya recently praised KATA Fresh Farms manger 30-year-old Florence Kimiti for her hard work establishing the KATA Fresh Farm and her role in working with Bob Anderson setting up the KATA Hunger Project. They will be working with KATA to empower and help educate and train women in this project to be better more efficent farmers.
❤️ These women (who now may be the head of the family) need to know what crops to plant, what fertilizer to use, how to deal with the water issue and tricks of the trade. These are just some of the things they will be taught over the three month period. They can also count on KATA to provid fresh fruits and vegetables for 13 weeks.
Learn more about the KATA Fresh Farm
The insecurity food crisis is tricky because just giving away food is not going to address the long-term issue. "We need to help train and educate those we are helping so that in the end they can help themselves and their family.," says Bob.
"Then we break down the puzzle. We first need to help one person, then another and then do it again and again. Before you know it, we could be helping thousands ❤️ of Kenyans in Need."
Coach Joseph added," The best way to help a hungry man is not to give him fish (as the adage goes), but to teach him how to fish. At KATA we train our athletes to run better times so that they can compete abroad and earn money to buy their own food, build their own house and leave our Academy for others to benefit from our program."
"In a short period of time the training programs coach Joseph has put together at KATA are showing good results," says Bob. Several KATA runners have already traveled to Europe and won prize money. Currently four KATA athletes are in Italy.
(Photo) When Peter came to KATA his best time for 10K was 32:30. He was from a poor family and was not getting any support. He has been fed, housed and trained at KATA. He is currently racing in Italy and on October 2, 2022 he won a half marathon clocking 1:00:29. A world class time. A time which would win most half marathons held in the United States.
Kenyan runners do not pay to be part of the KATA training program in Thika, nor will they need to pay KATA any prize money they hopefully will win as they make it as a pro runner. For KATA they work 20 hours per week on KATA programs like this KATA Hunger Project.
❤️ "As mentioned before, Food insecurity is when people lack enough money, or resources, to ensure they can eat," says Bob. "We think our 13-week program will give our selected Kenyans in Need enough time to get on track to help themselves.
When the woman farmer picks up the KATA food pack weekly she will receive 30 minutes of farm training coordinated by the Women Farmer's Association.
"Many of the woman we will be helping are right now sitting on a chair someplace wondering what to do next," says Florence. "They and their family may only be eating one meal per day. They are poor and not educated. They just need guidance and some help now."
The Kenya Fresh Farms Hunger Project works like this:
The World Health Organization says people should eat one pound or 7 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables weekly. "Our program will provide 8.8 pounds weekly, so we are a little above the recommended amount," says Catherine.
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"As our program grows," Florence says,"we will be working with churches, schools and running camps throughout the country as pick up and KATA training locations. Plus as we grow we will be able to offer an opportunity to our women farmers to sell back to KATA at above market prices excess produce.
❤️ "We will be able to produce almost all of the vegetables we need at first but as we get more supporters and need more, this would be a good opportunity for our farmers," says Bob.
Would you like to volunteer and help us grow this program? Maybe you know someone we should contact? Let us hear from you. ❤️
Bob and Catherine work out of their Double Road Race Federation (DRRF) offices in Mountain View, California. No funds are needed to cover any expenses since this is a going concern.
For larger contriubtions and or to save processing fees mail your check (Made payable to Double Road Race Federation) to the following address: (If you would like to send a wire transfer contact us)
Double Road Race Federation (KATA)
Fed Tax ID number: 46-1365347
1350-C Pear Ave
Mountain View, CA 94024 USA
Thank you! ❤️ ❤️ Bob Anderson, Catherine Anderson co-directors
Bob and Catherine can be reached at bob@KATAHungerproject.com
650-938-1005
This is a very important program