Read the Update for 2026

Ikutha: Our Parish Project

Thank you to all those who have participated in activities for our Parishes’ Cafod Live Simply challenge. As you know, the challenge has three areas: Living Simply, Living Sustainably, and Living in Solidarity with the Poor. Many of you have already taken on this challenge enthusiastically by joining in activities such as our parish walk between St Dunstan’s and St Hugh’s, or attending one of the events we have organised to improve awareness of the damage that we are doing to our common home through plastic pollution.

The next step in the challenge is the launch of our parish project, in which we will spend two years living in Solidarity with a community at the sharp end of the climate crisis; stuck in a cycle of food insecurity due to drought. Over the next two years (2025 and 2026) we need parishioners to come forward to fundraise for the people of Ikutha, Southern Kenya.

All About the Project….

The project is run by the Poor Servants of the Mother of God (PSMG), an order of religious Sisters founded by Frances Taylor (who became known as Mother Magdalen), the daughter of an Anglican clergyman who converted to Catholicism after her experience nursing with Irish nuns in Crimea. She founded the Order in 1872 in London. Today, the Sisters run the Kairos centre in Roehampton and have convents in London, Liverpool, Ireland, USA, Tanzania and Kenya. Sr Munanie (pictured) came to speak at St Dunstan’s and St Hugh’s as part of the kick-off.

Their first convent in Kenya was established in the Diocese of Kitui in 1985. Their first priority was to conduct a needs assessment of the area to establish the most pressing needs of the community. Food insecurity was very high on this list, along with the need for training and secure employment.  The Sisters developed a plan to improve nutrition, which in turn will enable better health, and participation in education and employment. See the FAQ section for more details.

The role of our Parish

The involvement of the the parishioners of St Dunstan’s and St Hugh’s comes at an opportune time for the overall project. The PSMG community in America has just finished fundraising for a borehole and drilling work has started. When borehole work is complete, the next priority will be to purchase a tractor to prepare the land for planting.  When the land is ready, drip irrigation pipes will be installed to that the crops will have a ready supply of water throughout the dry months. Watering takes place in the morning and the evening to avoid evaporating in the heat of the day.

So what do we need from YOU?

This is a whole-parish project, so we need YOUR ideas to make it a reality. We hope that many parishioners, old and young, will come forward with fundraising ideas. Could you organise a sponsored walk/run/cycle? Could you raise money together with your class? Could you make, bake or grow something to sell? Perhaps you are more adventurous and would like to organise a quiz night, a cheese and wine evening, or talent show?

The first fundraising idea, a monthly Jackpot club, is already up and running. If you have not already, do sign up for a ticket (or several!): the cost is £1 a month (£12 for the year) and you will be entered into the monthly prize draw.

  • The project is run by the Poor Servants of the Mother of God (PSMG), an order of religious Sisters founded by Frances Taylor (who became known as Mother Magdalen), the daughter of an Anglican clergyman who converted to Catholicism after her experience nursing with Irish nuns in Crimea. She founded the Order in 1872 in London. Today, the Sisters run the Kairos centre in Roehampton and have convents in London, Liverpool, Ireland, USA, Tanzania and Kenya.

    Their first convent in Kenya was established in the Diocese of Kitui in 1985.

  • The women who attend the scheme will also be trained in sustainable agriculture techniques including sowing seeds, transplanting seedlings and conserving water (vital, when water is so scarce). They are taught how to recycle water from other uses such as dish- and clothes-washing. This is stored in tanks with ash from the firewood, which helps refresh it for use in watering crops. They are also taught how to plant several crops together in sacks, which requires less water overall than individual planting. Other techniques are used to maximise space, such as planting onions between fruit trees. Crops commonly grown in the region include spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, kale, cabbage, maize and kidney beans.

    As the model has demonstrated elsewhere in Kenya, once the women are empowered to grow crops, this will improve the nutrition of the whole family and reduce the risk of illness. They will also be in a position to sell the surplus to fund education for their children. This gives the children a chance to enter training and employment in future.

  • Ikutha is a division of Kitui county, in which the Sisters established St Monica’s Convent in 2023. Kitui County performs low on socio-economic indicators (it ranks 0.53 on the Human Development Index, which is below the Kenyan national average of 0.56). Kitui is a semi-arid region, and experiences regular drought. Many livelihoods still depend on subsistence farming. There should be two rains per year – the long rains and the short rains – but some years these fail, putting the entire community at risk. Without water, not only is there increased risk of illness, but animals die and crops fail. For this reason, Kitui County suffers from perennial food insecurity.