The people in the Turkana South region of Kenya have endured a prolonged drought. Hunger and scarcity are on the rise and so too are feelings of hopelessness – especially for those living with a disability.

Wheelchair-bound Simon Lochor Amojong, a married father of three children, was born and raised in Shanti Village in Turkana South. A self-taught beader, Simon relied on what he earned selling necklaces, called shanga, that he made to generate income to support his family. But he just did not earn enough to meet his family’s basic needs – and as the drought grew worse, so too did his financial woes. Eventually, Simon’s family left him and he began to depend entirely on the kindness of his neighbours for survival. He shares, “I lived hand-to-mouth as the little I got from my beading was not enough for my very basic needs… my shanga-making business would barely bring me 100 KES ($1.10 CAD) per day.”

With funding from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, World Renew implemented a food distribution program in Turkana focused on supporting people living with disabilities, the elderly, orphans, and the most vulnerable. The project came at a time when Simon had lost all hope. He and other beneficiaries were given 50 kilograms of sifted maize flour, 10 kg of beans, 3 litres of vegetable oil, and 0.5 kg of table salt monthly for a period of 9 months.

The food support was what Simon needed to lift his spirits and restore his hope for the future–there was enough to feed his family and he rejoiced when his children and wife returned home. Then, with the guidance of the project staff, Simon began to focus on his potential and his bead-crafting skills. He began to grow maize, tomatoes, green grams, cowpeas, and other crops on a half acre of irrigated land that he had left unattended. And he revived his shanga business. Now, with the money he earns farming and from shanga sales he is able to support his family, including paying for school fees for his children and buying school uniforms and household necessities.

Simon says, “This project brought hope to my life”.

This week (February 5 to 11) is International Development Week (IDW). Started in 1991, the focus of International Development Week (IDW) is to inform, inspire and involve Canadians in Canada’s international development efforts. The unifying message Go for the Goals represents a call for Canadians to act to support the achievement of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

People-centred and grounded in human rights to ensure that no one is left behind, the SDGs envision a secure and peaceful world free of poverty, inequality and hunger, with full and productive employment, access to quality education and universal health coverage, gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and an end to environmental degradation.

Through your gifts to World Renew, you stand with us in our efforts – including those in Kenya – to support the achievement of the SDGs. Thank you!