“In Swahili ‘Vijana Twaweza’* means ‘Youth We Can’. Our conversation with Luundo Dieu Merci began with him explaining the meaning behind the name of the refugee-led organisation he founded in Kakuma refugee camp, in Kenya.

Luundo, founder and current president of “Vijana Twaweza Community-Based Organisation” – where leadership rotates and is shared among members – comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He fled his country in 2016 due to political instability and sought refuge in Kakuma camp. “Vijana Twaweza” is a sustainable livestock and agriculture project that started with a clear purpose: to fight hunger and malnutrition in Kakuma refugee camp.

What is the objective of “Vijana Twaweza”?

In Kakuma refugee camp, even before the cuts to humanitarian aid, the diet was not very varied. People received specific types of food provided by humanitarian organisations, mainly yellow peas and certain beans. During food distributions, refugees also received small amounts of cash to buy other products at the market. So, we thought about how, through our project, we could try to diversify food sources and also fight child malnutrition, as many children under the age of five were really suffering.

At “Vijana Twaweza”, we don’t just do fish farming. We also engage in poultry farming, crop cultivation, and even insect farming — specifically crickets — which are used to feed fish and chickens, though some people in the area also eat them.

I know that eggs and fish are not much, and our production doesn’t really meet the very high demand, but we try to address food scarcity as much as we can. We are truly motivated to work hard and to find ways to support more people. With a sustainable and intensified aquaculture system, we will be able to produce more fish and therefore have the opportunity to help many more people.

How did the idea behind “Vijana Twaweza” come about?

It all started with a fish. During the vocational training in agriculture and fish farming that I was attending, one day, while I was watering crops with a friend of mine, I happened to catch a fish. That’s when I decided I should really start a fish farming activity.

At the beginning, it wasn’t easy: the space where we raised the fish was very small, and the climate conditions in Kakuma weren’t ideal either. Our first pond was built inside our compound and measured just two metres by one.

I started this business on my own, but later some friends from the camp joined me.

How did you come across JRS on your journey?

We were growing and needed a larger piece of land to continue our activities. We decided to go to JRS Kakuma, which has a large area for projects, and we established a partnership that allowed us to continue and expand our fish farming activities. As we grew, we also began to get some funding that enabled us to build our first large pond and start farming fish to feed the community. We now runs six semi-intensive fishponds in Kakuma that raise tilapia and catfish.

How do you think your project contributes to creating “communities of solidarity”?

In the camp, there are many community-based organisations, we do our best with the little that we have. Through the organisation, we have learned a trade that supports the wider community. Not only through fish farming, but for example, through poultry farming training for women, we provide them with the opportunity to start their own chicken farms so that they can feed their families and improve living conditions in their communities.

We also support recent graduates in obtaining scholarships by involving them in our project. Some have succeeded and are now studying abroad, yet they have remained in touch with us. What is particularly nice is that they want to give back. For example, some of those who have continued their studies in agriculture share best practices and advice from their studies with us.

Moreover, I believe that the activities we carry out in our project, since they involve many different people living in Kakuma camp, also help to reduce social tensions that may exist—or have existed in the past—because people now show understanding and are more open to reconciliation. This is very encouraging. Even though there are still social conflicts in the camp, these activities allow us to try address them.

* This project has been made possible with the support of Caritas Italiana, World Food Programme (WFP), and the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS).