VTC farms both tilapia and catfish in semi-intensive fishponds.
Access to a healthy diet and the essential nutrients that it brings poses a significant challenge for many refugee children. With alarming rates of acute malnutrition increasing in recent years, one out of every two refugee children under the age of 5 now suffers from anaemia. Furthermore, as food production is impacted by climate change and the ongoing drought in East Africa , food rations have been cut and 10% of children in Kakuma and 5% in Kalobeyei are currently experiencing acute malnutrition.
The Fishing in the Desert Project raises highly nutritious fish in an effort to tackle hunger related issues among people in Kakuma. In particular pregnant women and children under five years of age are at risk of malnutrition, so we focus most of efforts on meeting their needs. We do this by using a circular economic model that employs the following.
Fish farming (tilapia and catfish):
Grounded in permaculture principles, VTC runs six semi-intensive fishponds in Kakuma that raises tilapia and catfish. We breed tilapia and source catfish fingerlings from trusted suppliers across Kenya, ensuring a consistent and sustainable supply of fresh fish for people in Kakuma.
Benefits of Fish
Fish are one of the best sources of food that help prevent nutritional deficiencies, support cognitive functions, and strengthen the immune system of children suffering from malnutrition or under-nourishment. Incorporating fish into the diet of malnourished children offers a sustainable and cost-effective means to improve the overall health and wellbeing of children.
In 2023, VTC supplied fish to over 5000 refugees, addressing their nutritional needs effectively.
VTC cultivates protein-rich crickets that we use to feed our fish and ducks. We are in the process of introducing Black Soldier Flies and other insect farming initiatives in Kakuma to further enhance the production of food for poultry and fish in the future. We also use the crickets as a food source for people in the camp.
In 2023, our cricket farming endeavours allowed us to reduce the cost of feeding our fish by a quarter and therefore allowed us to increase our efforts to feed more people with the resources that we have. In total we supplied crickets to over 30 households for consumption in porridge and bread, enriching their diets with essential nutrients.
VTC cultivates nutrient-rich crops for both human consumption and feeding crickets. We believe that organic farming practices contribute significantly to combating hunger in Kakuma refugee camp. To this end, we have implemented an irrigation system that utilizes wastewater from our fish ponds to nourish edible plants such as sweet potato leaves, moringa oleifera, bananas, sugar cane, tomatoes, amaranthus, spinach, kales, and more.
VTC's crop production initiative has made a tangible impact, extending support to over 500 households within Kakuma so far..
VTC rears ducks to supply both meat and eggs. The poultry farm contributes valuable fertiliser/manure for the cultivation of crops and maintenance of fishponds. The resulting meat and eggs provide a crucial source of nutrition for numerous residents of Kakuma refugee camp. For further insights into VTC's poultry farming endeavours, please see the VTC Chicken Farming Project section,
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