She lost her husband, house, and livelihood within 2 months
Franscisca’s local church brings hope, helping her rebuild her life and encouraging her in her faith through new farming techniques!
The future seemed anything but bright to Franscisca. Devastated from the grave loss of her husband, business, and home, all hope she had seemed to shatter in an instant.
“When a parent doesn’t know where the next meal will come from, this contributes a lot of stress,” she explains.
Franscisca Kyuma, a 34-year-old widow, experienced devastating loss when her husband died in 2019, resulting in her being left as the sole provider for her five children in rural Kenya. When she and her husband’s clothing business declined, she could no longer pay her rent. With the drought, farming was hardly an option. Her job from then on was cutting firewood and selling tomatoes, but that could not sustain her family of six. Two months of tireless work passed, and still, Franscisca could not afford it. Then, one day, she came home to find that she and her children had been locked out of their home.
Everything seemed to hit rock bottom. Yet, a glimmer of hope still shone through the dark.
Franscisca attended a local get-together at her church hosted by Fadhili Trust, one of Tearfund’s partners. Fadhili Trust is a Christian organization that works with Tearfund to bring sustainable, long-term solutions to those in poverty through the local church. Through this meeting, Franscisca learned about conservation agriculture (CA). This practice amplifies and escalates the harvest by 2-3 times—an overwhelming difference to families living on one meal or less per day!
From the very first lesson, Franscisca saw results from Conservation Agriculture. Her neighbours asked her why she used mulch on her farm and she shared in her newfound farming techniques. This new type of farming that Franscisca learned from Fadhili Trust has amplified her harvests abundantly. Thanks to the work of Fadhili Trust, Franscisca can now afford 3 family chickens, food for her children, and can send them to school! She explains, “I can only thank God because he has brought me this far. It is not by my strength or might, it is by the grace of God.”
Despite her hardships, she is determined to keep God as her priority: “First thing’s first, I worship God.” Franscisca has always been a faithful church member and God-fearing woman and was especially grateful for her church’s support during this time. Fadhili Trust helped her by fundraising and paying for her children’s school fees, and they have continually encouraged her through this time
Living as a widow in rural, dry Kenya is never easy, but the local church brings hope through new agricultural techniques and community support. With this help, Franscisca’s faith holds strong as she trusts that her future is secure in God’s hands!
Tearfund equips those in poverty with the resources needed in order to not only survive but to thrive. By the same grace of God that touched Franscisca and through your generous donations, you too can equip others living in poverty with their own sustainable income. Together, we can continue to make lasting change and demonstrate the hope of Christ globally.
