“I am grateful to God for the work of Jonam Archdeaconry and Development Committee. Much effort has been put in capacity-building to help its members get to higher levels of performance. This has increased my knowledge and I am able to plan for my family. I also have the ability to implement what I have learned and planned. The more I learn, the more I can create new activities and address other issues to help generate more money to support my family,” says Jappii Christopher.
“I am grateful to God for the work of Jonam Archdeaconry and Development Committee. Much effort has been put in capacity-building to help its members get to higher levels of performance. This has increased my knowledge and I am able to plan for my family. I also have the ability to implement what I have learned and planned. The more I learn, the more I can create new activities and address other issues to help generate more money to support my family,” says Jappii Christopher.
Jappii Christopher is a former Volunteer Coordinator and now the Committee Executive and Parish Representative to his Sub-County.
“I have been able to buy a piece of land,” he says. “The trainings I attended opened my mind to realize the need for more land for cultivation. This was bought at US $1,900. I have enlarged my area for agriculture. Now I have 5-10 acres of land covered with cassava. I have sufficient food reserves for my family of ten people. I have been able to sell some of the extra produce to pay for my children’s school fees and supplies. My children work with me on the gardens every Saturday and during school holidays. “This has not only benefited my family alone, but also the community around me. My neighbors buy food from my gardens. They come for advice and learn the techniques I’m using. This is a learning opportunity for them.
“I treasure the importance of these exposure visits. Jonam Archdeaconry organized my first exposure visit four years ago. This transformed my thinking and attitude towards work. By that time I was the Volunteer Coordinator for the development program in my church area. We visited projects in Western Kenya. Every household had at least one goat. When I came back, I was challenged to replicate what I saw during the exposure visit. I knew that to lead others, I also had to provide an example for them. I resigned my position as a Volunteer Coordinator—I needed more time to work on what I had learned.
“Since then I have been able to pay for my children’s school fees even when the harvest is poor. At Christmas festivities, I have always had enough money for my family to celebrate with.
“On one occasion I was able to offer some of my goats to the church and that opened my eyes to see things even more differently. I was grateful that the church enabled me to have an exposure visit, and my neighbors have similar stories in the communities that are connected to the church’s work.
“The people around me realize that what I am telling them makes sense during my interactions with them. Consequently, they elected me to be their Parish Representative in the Sub-County Council. This is a local government position. Now, I am also the Secretary for Production in the Sub-County. I see this as an additional opportunity for service that the church has prepared me for and that the communities realize I have the potential for.
“During church elections for office bearers in April, 2011, the church council elected me to the Planning and Development Committee of the Archdeaconry. In this position, I am committing my time to benefiting to the Committee. “I am now working on developing a long-term vision for the committee to enable communities to invest their lives more profitably,” says, Jappii Christopher.