ABOUT SUSAN THOMPSON

I am a Fisheries Management Biologist for the Yukon Government’s Department of Environment in Whitehorse, Yukon. My background is in fisheries management, aquaculture, fish health and program design for small scale fisheries. I am responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of freshwater fisheries programs in the Yukon.

For many years I have been traveling to Kenya volunteering with various Canadian Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) in teaching and related programming. I taught school for a year in Machakos, Eastern Province, volunteered for eight months in Kakamega, Western Province helping to select students for scholarships for secondary education and returned to Kakamega for three months to select students for scholarships for university and college.

While in Kenya in 2003, I was approached by a group of rural fish farmers asking me to visit their fish farms and provide technical advice on their ponds. I visited seven different families and found they were having major problems. They lacked sufficient funding to purchase fish feed and quality stocks of tilapia and catfish fry, had no gill nets or pipes and their ponds were stagnant which was causing poor fish growth and even die-offs.

I returned home and kept in contact with the community farmers. Over the next two years I returned to Kenya and met with them several time to discuss how we could work together and how I could assist. As a result, in the past four years I have visited and worked with over 300 fish farmers, viewing their ponds and providing technical advice and much needed equipment that I was able to take back to Kenya with me.

ABOUT KAKAMEGA DISTRICT, WESTERN PROVINCE, KENYA

Kenya is a country of extremes, where families in the rural areas are living on less than $1/day. Farming is the economic backbone of this lush area. Water is readily available and this makes the development of fish ponds an extremely viable opportunity for farmers.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The overall goal of the Fish 4 Kenya project is to assist in the development of community-level, economically-viable fish farming operations that will provide affordable, good quality fish protein to local families. Small scale fish farming has been practiced in Kenya for some years, but with little support or technical assistance.

There are many challenges facing today’s fish farmers. To get established or expand, they need land on which they can build a pond, and which has a good year-round water supply. There must be an easily accessible local source of fish fry and healthy fish feed and local markets at which to sell the fish. Ponds must be protected from poachers and natural predators. Harvested fish must be stored and transported. Beginner farmers need experienced fish farmers who can mentor them, and all of them must work within a cooperative to administer the donations.

To that end, four cooperatives have been established to help fish farmers to build and manage small scale fish ponds. The ponds are owned and managed by members of women’s groups and rural farmers who are the most vulnerable members of the community in terms of limited alternative livelihood sources. And the first of four planned catfish hatcheries has been built, improving fish stock quality and supply.

The benefits are many to families. Increasing protein levels in their diet reduces malnutrition and its impacts. The sale of fish brings income that can be used to purchase other necessities. Women become self-employed alongside their husbands. And the natural wetlands that form the foundation of some fish ponds are managed sustainably. Further, in light of the growing international food crisis, increasing local food supplies takes even greater importance.

BUILDING CAPACITY

This project’s work is about more than just training– it is about building skills and empowering communities. In Kakamega District we are able to give farmers technical training, and business and marketing skills so they can maximize their harvests and income. These farmers pass on this knowledge to their friends, neighbours and families. With their own skills and abilities keeping them afloat, people keep their dignity too.

In the fall of 2008, I plan to return to Kenya to set-up a formal fish farming course in conjunction with a local college. Farmers would benefit greatly from practical training and knowledge in:

* Fish pond construction – location, size, depth, stabilization;
* Water management – water flows, quality, drying and re-watering;
* Pond fertilization – local sources, drying, vegetation and re-flooding, liming;
* Fish stocking – initial, reproduction, supplementary;
* Fish feeding – natural feed sources, nutrient levels;
* Fish containment – inlet and outlet screens;
* Fish harvesting – seasonal timing, size selective, methods;
* Fish biology and ecological requirements – age and growth, maturity and reproduction, water quality and habitat requirements, predation; and
* Sustainable management of fish ponds as wetlands – stabilization, vegetation and natural productivity.

Funds raised through Fish 4 Kenya are used to cover the costs of training, materials, the set-up of a micro-credit system and for local assistance to oversee the success of the initiative.

I have been involved with two other projects during my time in Kenya:

TAILORING SCHOOLS

It is not uncommon for girls in Kenya to be unable to enroll in secondary school because of lack of funds or low marks. These young women need to learn skills to enable them to provide for their future.

Through donations from friends I have purchased more than 15 sewing machines for three different community organizations. I have set up two small schools for these young women to learn tailoring skills. Funds also went to a women’s cooperative which teaches women with AIDS to sew and provides housing for orphans.

MARABA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Established in 1974 as an early childhood development centre, Maraba Primary School serves Maraba Ward in Kakamega town. The school was built on two acres of land donated by a local church. This area was chosen because of its many disadvantaged families, needy children, widows and orphans that could not afford to pay school fees at other primary schools. Classes filled quickly and as enrolment increased Maraba developed into a full primary school.

In 1978, the government of Kenya took over support of the school from the community and provided teachers’ salaries, curriculum guidance and basic training materials. Parents and guardians were then required to pay school fees to maintain the classrooms, buy books and cover other maintenance costs. The community and church continued to support the school with construction funds to add more classrooms.

In 2002 the newly elected Kenyan government implemented a free education policy for all public primary schools and declared that no school fees should be charged to parents. This was wonderful for all families that could not afford school fees and students could attend school on a regular basis. Immediately the enrolment doubled to its present level of over 1200 students.

The increase has put tremendous stress on the school and classrooms are overflowing. There are not enough desks and teaching materials and more classrooms and latrines are needed. Additionally, Maraba Primary School has over 450 children (aged 4 to 14) that are either orphaned or have special economic needs. The headmistress of the school indicated that a meal program for the orphans would be of great assistance to the school. Money was put towards buying maize, beans, and tomatoes, plus cooking pots and dishes, and hiring a cook. Plans are now in place to provide enough funds to continue with the meal program and build six new latrines for the school. The soccer field is in bad shape and all that is needed is some leveling and the kids can have a safe and fun place to play.