Mrs. Ondiek's Hand Pump
Mrs. Janet Ondiek, a small scale farmer in Kajulu, Kisumu, (Kenya) is
a widow who manages her farm following the death of her husband in 1997.
Janet's farm is next to a perennial stream. Using bucket irrigation she
used to make a profit of just Kshs 7,000 KSh ($93) per season.
In early 1999 Janet saw the Super MoneyMaker irrigation pump being
demonstrated at Gita, a local market and liked it so much that she
bought one on the spot. She has used it to transform her horticultural
business. She now irrigates 2.5 acres, growing high value crops like
bulb onions, tomatoes, and sweet peppers as well as kale and spinach
which she sells in Kisumu.
In 1999, her profits topped Ksh. 240,000 ($3200), and she now employs
5 workers. After the death of her husband, Janet's 6 children almost
dropped out of school due to lack of school fees, but now with
irrigation she makes enough money to send them to college. She is
delighted with her pump. "I'm making enough money now to support my
family fully without begging from relatives since my husband died!"
