At Small Miracles Orphans Home (SMOH), our mission is to care for the whole child—body, mind, and spirit. While we've made incredible strides in providing education and safe shelter, we recently faced a critical challenge: many of our children were malnourished, leaving them with weakened immune systems and vulnerable to illness.

A new and exciting partnership has emerged, guiding us toward a future of health and self-sufficiency. What began as a plan for a simple wellness garden quickly grew into a comprehensive agricultural program under the passionate leadership of Muwamguzi Moses, one of the core members of the SMOH family. Moses, an ambitious and intelligent young man, has been a driving force, clearing land and dividing the new farm into individual plots for each child to tend.

This agricultural program is a hands-on learning experience designed to teach the children how to feed themselves and their future families. The children are already hard at work, learning about the crucial role of compost in creating healthy, nutrient-rich soil—a vital lesson for growing food in their community's "black cotton soil."

Under the guidance of Tami Fike, an expert in natural medicine and nutrition, and an agricultural graduate from Kenya, we are focused on growing a "rainbow of colors" to ensure a balanced and diverse diet. So far, the children have planted cabbage, red snowball eggplant, tomatoes, carrots, and amaranth. We have also secured seeds for beets, turnips, kale, chard, purple kohlrabi, spinach, and onions, with plans to purchase sweet potatoes and yams soon. Moses is also acquiring saplings for banana and pawpaw trees, which will provide a long-term supply of fruit for the children to eat and to sell.

But this program is about more than just food. It’s also about natural medicine and self-reliance. Tami has provided us with wellness seeds for medicinal herbs, including ingredients for a natural malaria treatment and a homemade mosquito repellent. Moses is learning how to make this repellent from plants like eucalyptus, lemongrass, and mint, which will be planted around the buildings to naturally deter pests. The potential to sell these products offers a new avenue for income, providing sustainable support for the orphanage.

The kids' excitement for this project is palpable. They are not only learning to grow food but also gaining invaluable skills in saving seeds and preserving harvests for times of scarcity. Moses's dedication is a powerful example, as he has already invested his own money in seeds and tools.

This agricultural program is a testament to what a small community can achieve with faith and determination. It has grown into something far bigger than we ever imagined—a true act of God's provision. We are not just feeding our children for today; we are empowering them with the skills to build a healthy, self-reliant future, one seed at a time.

Ways to help: