update: $300 was sent today. The plan is to hire the men to plow this Sunday.

The rest of the money will be used for tools, seedlings and seeds.

Thank you for your support

My name is Ronald E. Newlon. I'm a retired NYC HS Principal, and I am currently living in Southeast Georgia.

I am raising funds for Geofrey Okeyo. He is a young, hardworking, community leader and Kenyan farmer with a dream. He wants to teach his neighbors how to work together to transform their community and lives through environmentally conscious and sustainable farming practices.

Geofrey weote:

I write to you on behalf of our community organization, Kokeyo to present our community farming project, which aims to empower local families through sustainable agriculture, food security, and economic self-reliance in our region of Kenya.

Our initiative brings together 20 local farmers who each manage their own small family farm. These farms range in size but share the same goal: to produce enough food to support their families and generate income from surplus produce.

We operate these farms as part of a coordinated community effort. This allows us to share critical farming tools, resources, and expertise, increasing productivity while reducing individual costs.

To improve efficiency and reduce duplication of costs, we use and maintain a few shared items that benefit all the farmers:

Oxen and Plow – One team of oxen and a strong plow are rotated among farms. We also rely on two skilled plowmen from our community who manage and assist during land preparation.

Shared Tools and Equipment – These include:

Wheelbarrows, Water drums and hoses, Panga (machetes), hoes and Fertilizer sprayers.

We plan to expand this shared pool of tools, which will cut costs for farmers and improve coordination during key planting and harvesting seasons.

Individual Farm Support:

We currently support 20 smallholder farms. Each farm will need the following items for a full growing cycle:

Items per farmPurposeSeeds (maize, beans, vegetables)Depends on land size

Core food crops and tools (hoes, pangas, rakes) 1 set per farm and a work

Fertilizer and compost: 2 bags per farm. Watering cans / buckets2 per farm for irrigation in dry spells and storage sacks or baskets: 5 per farmSafe and post-harvest handlingBasic training session: 0ne session per farmBest practices in Farming and Harvesting.

Small farmer training session on planting techniques

Project Impact:

With this modest support this project will:

1.) Increase food production and reduce hunger

2.) Generate income for over 100 community members (families of farmers)

3.) Empower women and youth who are actively involved in farming

4.) Promote sustainable farming methods through shared knowledge and resources

We deeply appreciate your consideration. Your support can transform lives in our community.

Warm regards,

Geofrey Okeyo

Community Head

Kokeyo community