Food Security Program Update

As a subsistence farming community, the Tikonko chiefdom that RHCI serves depends heavily on food growth. Many of the expectant mother’s that receive RHCI’s health services are farmers. And it is no secret that nutritious food is a necessary component to overall health and wellbeing. 

RHCI’s Nutritionist, Umu Shour, teaches pregnant mothers about the importance of a nutritious diet. As part of RHCI’s mission to ensure healthy pregnancies, expecting mothers are given three nutritious meals a day when staying at the Birth Waiting Homes before and after delivery. Our Food Security Program aims to further develop and establish a permanent, sustainable garden and farm to serve the food and nutrition needs of these mothers.

Located at the Mbao’mi Mother’s Home, lies a garden containing a combination of 60 beds of vegetables and fruit trees. RHCI’s Lead Farmer, Patrick Vandy has worked over three years to maintain and grow the garden for the Home. In addition, agriculture volunteer and Minnesota native, Calvin Dauner, has worked alongside Patrick at the farm since his arrival in Tikonko in November, 2020. Along with providing guidance on composting and planting crops in the garden, Calvin’s scope of work includes assisting with the preparation of planting nutritious legumes on 3 acres of land adjacent to the Home. These crops will supply the feeding needs for mothers and staff at the Birth Waiting Home.

To bring basic agriculture education to local farmers in the community, and determined to improve overall food security, Calvin has traveled to distant villages to observe the needs of Farmer Based Organizations in the Chiefdom. Food Security Supervisor, Mohamed Kabba, and Agriculture Consultant from Njala University, Georgiana Allie, join the mission to provide education and support for these farmers, many of whom are mothers themselves.

Local farmers will have the opportunity to visit RHCI’s garden and farm to learn with hands-on training skills that they can utilize on their own family farms. RHCI’s Food Security Program is providing the community members and farmers that we serve, a platform for education to learn to improve their  yields in order to feed their families, lasting through the hunger season.

By providing a year-round sustainable food source on RHCI’s land to feed mothers and staff, and education to local farmers that we serve, we are accomplishing our mission, improving the health of women and children in Sierra Leone.

Thank you to RHCI’s Food Security Committee from Minnesota for your dedication to this lifesaving work:

• Steve Clark, Volunteer
• Bill Pilacinski, Volunteer 
• Calvin Dauner, Volunteer 
• Carol Nelson, Executive Director
• Gary Johnson, Board Member
• Maggie Pilacinski, Board Member