Providing Healthy Nutrition for KWS Students

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Black nightshade (not to be confused with deadly nightshade) is a common weed with a long and well-established history as a food source for numerous cultures around the globe. It is among the most widely used and well-documented wild foods in the world, consumed by over two billion people.[/caption]Preparation for the 2015 school year has been set in motion. We have had interviews for the upcoming baby class, received textbooks for the new Class 8, and shopped for first quarter school supplies. Every classroom and department is being cleaned, and we are renewing contracts with our school’s food suppliers.The dietary department and feeding program at Kwa Watoto School (KWS) is a very important place at the heart of the health and performance of KWS students. Prior to the 2014 school year, we purchased our produce in the city markets, increasing our risk of food-borne illnesses. One year ago, we decided that it was imperative to know who was supplying our produce and under what conditions it was grown.We are blessed to have found Carol Ndungu, who has a shamba (farm) where produce is grown in an environment that meets the KWS health standards. Carol grows organic vegetables, such as cabbages, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, Egyptian Walking onions, bell peppers, cowpeas, spider plant, and others. Some of the vegetables are considered weeds in other cultures, but are consumed by many for their high nutritional value.I recently visited Carol’s shamba to check on our food supply and make sure the environment continues to meet our safety standards. At one end of her shamba, she is digging a new well to boost the farm’s existing water supply. In this way, there will be no scarcity of water for her crops during the dry season that runs from late June to October. Carol never uses chemical fertilizer or pesticides on the produce she grows. So, at the other end of the farm, away from the water supply, she stores the organic fertilizer, making sure it does not contaminate the water supply.As I toured the farm, Carol showed me the food being grown for KWS. In one greenhouse, she is growing Swiss chard and spring onions. Surrounding the greenhouse, I found amaranth, black nightshade (not to be confused with deadly nightshade), cabbage, and other vegetables. She has planted seedlings in nurseries in order to provide a continuous food supply for KWS throughout 2015. I departed from the farm satisfied that our produce looked healthy and abundant.On the evening of December 6, several days after my visit to the farm, we received a call from Carol telling us that the onions planted for KWS had been stolen from the farm. Fortunately, our other produce was untouched. Carol, who pours herself and her income into her shamba and greenhouses, was greatly distressed to give us the news. The staff is praying for her and her farm. We invite you to join us in our prayer for her; pray also for the protection and safe delivery of foods destined for the nutrition of our children!God Bless!Ajema Kikuyu-NgumbaKenya Administrative Director