Meet Margaret Oluoch; the CMS-Africa Ambassador in…
Her work stretches back to 2004 when she initiated a project she calmed SMEJAK Nutrition Trees Promotion in Miwani area within the Lake basin. The focus of this initiative was to address the endemic problem of Hyacinth in Lake Victoria. Her goal was to model what would demonstrate conservation of Oruba river to stop siltation from getting in Lake Victoria. It is all the rubbish, toxic, metallic and all manner of pollutants that end up in the lake feeding the Hyacinth making aquatic life and business in Lake Victoria impossible.
Margaret conducted a research to demonstrate how a river conservation would work out within the sugar belt region of Miwani and in so doing she became an inspiration to the people of Miwani along the Oruba river. Miwani had a sugar factory that pollutes the river a lot because of the chemicals and wastes that are disposed into the river.
It was not long before the Water Resource Management Authority in the Lake basin was formed and she shared with them her model of riparian reconstruction.
She formed a Water Resource Users Association along Oruba River that starts in Kobijoi and runs through Miwani- large scale sugar plantation with a sole aim of conserving the riverine.
So through this initiatives, Margaret started tree planting and growing of grasses along the river.
She would demonstrate trees and grasses researched by IGRAF by addressing the needs of the people which included fodder tree, fuel, construction, conservation to natural medics, food among others. Throughout her initiatives, all the trees planted were to be water friendly.
The grasses were included but were not limited to bamboo tree, vetivar grass and nappier grass. The medicinal plants included; Neem, prunas Africa, Moringa oliefera and Wambugia Yugadencias. Fruit Trees: Mangoes, Luke wards and Avocado.
Trees for beauty and flooring trees and plants planted included bougainvillea,
Soil fertility trees, like the leguminous and fodder trees, soya beans, Sunflower among others.
That led to a massive shift in planting of trees and maintenance of the same amongst the communities within river Oruba.
Margaret had worked for ICRAF now World Agroforestry Centre and World Food Programme both focusing on agroforestry and nutrition and when she retired, her aim was to put research into Practice and CMS-Africa became an appropriate channel through which she would deliver this. According to Margaret, the NGO world had really pushed the trees agenda but the communities never understood the uses of the trees.
The poor had been trapped in aid and change was not going to happen.
That compelled her to engage in research all in an attempt to understand the African poor. That is when Margaret met CMS Missionaries Roger Sharland of REAP and she was mentored into working with the rural communities.
“Roger taught me about seeds and value addition. I was encouraged to connect Science and Biblical worldview when I encounters CMS-Africa through her teachings on holistic community transformation” says Margaret who adds that she realized the problem is not money but how we multiply the seeds we have and manage the work.
The problem of the poor is food, fuel, health and business and Margaret trained the locals not cut trees but to harvest them. She also taught the locals on how to do economic stoves, solar as a source of energy and use of natural trees as medicine.
Harmony in all of God’s Creation; as was and as shall be
Margaret says a conserved Riparian is a model of Revelation 22; about a new river and a farmer who is sufficient where he is can be said to be in the garden of Eden. It is the modern day Eco Agriculture – landscape for people nature and food.
The UNEP a billion Tree campaign was about trees and grasses were not given a platform. Since she was passionate about the grasses too. She then met CMS-Africa’s international director (now retired) Rev. Dennis Tongoi who talked about Creation Care and the Gospel.
When she shared with Sarah Wambua and Rev. Dennis Tongoi, they bought into the idea and CMS-Africa became part of her journey.
She has since participated in CMS-Africa trainings including Care of Creation, Business as Mission, Women Training and VISION Conferences.
“The uptake of these concepts were not happening and CMS-Africa opened doors for me to work with the churches and the communities,” says Margaret.
The concept of starting small as taught in the CMS-Africa’s flagship programme called Samaritan Strategy resonated well in the church. The church started believing in the same and she has since worked with various Anglican Diocese including Maseno South, Maseno East and Bondo.
Her approach is; start with the seed by working through the local church, add value to the produce, get products that can be taken to the market. The cycle is based on the fact that the world comes in seasons and we have a seed, a harvest then add value to get a product.
Women Empowerment
Margaret’s approach has been to work with women in the villages to take responsibility as long as they have land. She has thus worked with CMS-Africa to train widows and young Mothers on financial freedom for vulnerable women. She has also organized VISION Conferences and has thus gotten many groups equipped for transformation.
In MIWANI, Margaret has various women groups that demonstrate that, though the land belongs to men, it would lessen the burden if women are allowed to plant trees that they can use for their needs as opposed to depending on men. This is a long term approach and thus they have also incorporated foods that requires short term periods to be harvested.
These are planted alongside the trees which means that in the long run, the trees are there and the needs of the people are being met too, short term medium term and long term planting are thus happening. In MIWANI, we have mature trees which are already seeding for multiplication and in some instances, ready for harvesting.
They are also gaining into eco-tourism for birdwatching, bee keeping, training on value addition for natural medicine and preservation of fruits, carpentry and building of affordable housing. This is already providing employment for the local youth in the areas of MIWANI, SONGHOR, and Kisumu.
In Kisumu, Margaret works with a group called Kikako who were landless widows. They were desperate and not engaged yet they were on the land. These group was taken through the Financial Freedom for Vulnerable Women and that helped them to establish their own businesses.
They are mentoring each other, educating their children and helping themselves. They have managed to register themselves and have now been contracted as floor distributors for a maize milling company. Margaret has continued to mentor them once in every quarter and they meet themselves every Sunday to review their work and see how to support each other to become self-reliant.