The 3rd Leadership Conference was held last month in Kenya, with 37 people in attendance. The conference took place in the village of Bahati on the first day, and in the town of Subukia on the second. Visiting both communities allowed for greater attendance, and also gave the facilitators the ability to see firsthand how each community is developing.

Each of the conference attendees spoke to the group about how they have implemented things learned at past conferences, and how they have shared their knowledge with others in their communities. Kenyan speakers came from Nairobi and instructed the groups on irrigation techniques, crop management, and how to establish co-operative groups. As well, Arlene Hardy and Edith Njenga continued the training on servant leadership.

On the third day of the conference, both groups traveled to a private farm owned by a man named Moses, who had been a former Internally Displaced Person (IDP) from the Rift Valley. He shared his personal story of survival and how he had overcome his situation. He now farms 15 acres of his own, and manages 150 acres for another land owner. His story of hope was significant, as all of the conference attendees were former IDP’s. 

Moses showed examples of terracing, crop management, water collection and storage; he explained budgeting and finance, and lastly, shared economic and marketing ideas for future crops. All were topics discussed at the leadership conferences over the past three years, but now everyone had the opportunity to see firsthand how successful one can become by using improved farming techniques. The conference was invaluable; the feedback we received was that it gave leaders hope that successful farming and sustainability are within their reach.