"My name is Rachael Ngina. In 2018-2019, I got an internship in Israel, Arava Desert. I was so surprised to see the Israelis producing food and even exporting their excess food, yet their land is too dry. Actually not even the wild shrubs survive because of the hot climate, they even import soil. My first weeks were so bad, it felt like being roasted and I frequently had headaches.
Here is another beautiful story from an Egerton Alumnus who took the Arava Internship Programme in Israel.
"My name is Rachael Ngina. In 2018-2019, I got an internship in Israel, Arava Desert. I was so surprised to see the Israelis producing food and even exporting their excess food, yet their land is too dry. Actually not even the wild shrubs survive because of the hot climate, they even import soil. My first weeks were so bad, it felt like being roasted and I frequently had headaches.
However, I got experience in production of onions, pumpkins, garlic, dates, grapes, pomelos, mangoes, etc.
If Israelis could produce in such a harsh environment, why were our own TURKANA people dying of hunger yet their climatic conditions were not as bad as compared to Israel.
When I came back home I was so determined to go to Turkana and bring change. I learned that the only way to deal with food insecurity was not to give people ready made food, but to teach them how to produce their own food.
Today am proud that after 6months, they have been fully equipped with skills on production of their own food from nursery establishment, land preparation, transplanting, pest control, harvesting, and post-harvest handling. Today those in Lobur, Kibish, Lodwar, Maisa, Katangon, Nariakotome, etc are healthy and happy. Their children have access to fresh fruit, vegetables and cereals."
Rachael Ngina, Furrows in the Desert
