****************************************************************

UPDATE: We have began co-teaching a creative programme of education for 45 children and young people from the camp - to engage their hearts, minds and bodies in activities that develop their personal resilience and wellbeing. Many of these children and young people have witnessed unfathomable violence and trauma, and now find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings, with people speaking many different languages.

We have started a GoFundMe page, to help raise funds so that we can send resources to enhance the sessions through creative materials, and boost the efforts of the LSBF facilitators, such as IT and communications equipment.

****************************************************************

In February 2024, Shift Bristol was contacted by a remarkable man called Polydord Wasokye; reaching out to fellow Permaculturalists in search of knowledge and resources.

Polydord, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is now a refugee in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, located in the North-western region of Kenya. The camp is home to more than 200,000 asylum seekers and refugees, cohabiting in some of the harshest and unforgiving climate and living conditions - and once you are in the camp it is very, very difficult to be granted permission to leave.

His story and the aims of his project 'Life Skills for Better Future' are highly admirable, and we feel honoured to be able to share his mission.

If you can help Polydord in any way, he would love to hear from you.

• Contacts and networking
• Permaculture knowledge and skills sharing
• Spreading word of his project
• Fundraising application support
• Editing documents
• Sending resources / funds

lsbfcbo1995@gmail.com / whatsapp: +254 741 217748

(Polydord carrying his family's monthly food ration for 5 people: 2.5ltrs vegetable oil, 2.5kgs yellow peas, 14kgs of rice).

"My journey begins in the verdant landscapes of Kazimia Village, nestled in the eastern expanses of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Born on December 10, 1995, into a lineage steeped in agriculture; my life was intimately tied to the rhythms of the land. Our family - guardians of the soil - cultivated our livelihood through the bounty of our gardens. From a tender age I accompanied my mother on the long treks to our plots, learning the art of farming and the value of hard work amidst the lush diversity of our fields. Our land yielded Cassava, maize, avocados, pineapples, bananas, and a mosaic of vegetables and legumes, sustaining the family and funding my education.

Despite the pastoral beauty of my homeland, my narrative took a darker turn as the shadows of war and unrest crept across the Congo. The fragility of life in my village, marred by violence and insecurity, propelled me on a quest for safety and peace, leading to my registration as a refugee in Kenya's Kakuma camp in February 2015.

In Kakuma, I encountered a world far removed from my agricultural roots, marked by food scarcity and economic hardship. Yet, it was here that my resilience shone. Determined to overcome the barriers of language and displacement, I embraced the challenge of learning English, laying the groundwork for a future driven by purpose and community service.

By the end of 2016, My personal life blossomed with the founding of a family, yet my heart remained with the broader camp community. Disturbed by the dire conditions facing women and children in Kakuma, I founded the Life Skills for Better Future (LSBF) organization. LSBF emerged as a beacon of hope, dedicated to empowering refugees through vocational training and sustainable development programs, fostering a community where self-reliance and economic independence are within reach.

Under my leadership, LSBF has initiated programs like Livelihoods for Resilience, targeting the nutritional and educational needs of women and children and cultivating permaculture practices. The organization’s mission extends to enhancing employability and entrepreneurship, aiming to dismantle the barriers to economic advancement for Kakuma’s inhabitants.

I envision a future where equity, opportunity, and self-sufficiency are accessible to all, striving tirelessly to expand LSBF’s impact. My story is a testament to the transformative power of education, community, and unwavering resolve, illuminating a path of hope and renewal for refugees far beyond the borders of Kakuma."

Currently Polydord is studying Permaculture Design with Morag Gamble, and applying for various grants in order to build a classroom. So that those in the community can gather and learn how to establish Permaculture Kitchen Gardens outside their own homes. Their kitchen gardens will supplement their (unsatisfactory) food rations - with delicious, fresh produce - and give them the option of selling surplus at market, in order to pay for items such as school supplies.

Polydord would also like to install a community orchard and garden, so that those most in need in his community can gather for communal, nourishing meals, made from the surplus produce.

Women and children are central to the project's aims, and alongside the kitchen garden project Polydord and his colleagues are also running psycho-social wellbeing sessions; giving children access to safe, supported, playful and creative opportunities. In the hope that they may heal from some of the unimaginable trauma they have witnessed in their lives.