Meet Our Families

Irene and her husband Elut have six children, ranging in age from six months to twelve years old. When Irene’s youngest was born in September of 2007, the additional mouth to feed was a true emergency.

She and her family live in a house with a mud/straw roof and one small bed. Hunger season for the family is unusually long, lasting half the year. Three of the children are height stunted (bottom 2% of the international height distribution), none wear shoes, and many work in the fields.

Irene and her family own one acre of land, producing approximately 270 kg of maize per year. To generate further income, her family breaks rocks by hand for use in roads and burns gathered wood to create charcoal. Overall, their income is approximately nine cents per person per day.

What One Acre Fund has done for Irene and her family

We brought Irene into One Acre Fund by partnering with Bauruma Women’s Group, which means “people have come together”, in early 2007.

Credit and Inputs: Irene planted 70 stems of passion fruit on her farm in March 2007, taking up one-tenth of an acre.

Education: Irene began receiving weekly education in a small group of farmers in March 2007.

Impact to Date: Irene is now harvesting 30 pounds of passion fruit per week, yielding approximately $5 per week or doubling her family’s income. Her vines are taller than she is, and the entire family, from children to adults, watch over the feld with care. When asked recently about plans for her family’s future, Irene’s response was immediate. “I will try to buy a goat, or a chicken, or a bicycle.” Irene is thinking about further investment. Goats produce milk and kid goats. Chickens produce eggs and chicks. Bicycles are used to transport goods and to start a business. One Acre Fund is helping to make it all possible.