Kisilu, Christina and their community are working to adapt to climate change. They have been involved in starting self-help groups as well as teaching climate resilient farming techniques, and now they want to spread their model of adaptation to other farming communities across East Africa. You can support their work!

Together with his wife Christina, Kisilu is working to help his community to adapt to climate change. Farming in their area has become increasingly difficult. Season after season, the rains are failing, forcing many farmers to leave for the cities in search for work. But Kisilu and his community are committed to finding ways to adapt to the changing weather. They are starting self-help groups as well as teaching climate resilient farming techniques, and now they want to spread their model of adaptation to other farming communities across East Africa.

The self-help groups come together on a regular basis to grow food on a shared plot, and test out new farming techniques and seed varieties. Many self-help groups have started table banking to enable each farmer to make small investment in livestock, seeds or tools. They also keep goats together as a way of adapting – when it gets too dry, they can sell the goats and put the money into the table bank. Their dream is to expand and form a co-operative to sell surplus food.

Kisilu and Christina want to build on this work and spread the techniques and ideas in order to help build climate resilient farming communities across East Africa and even further. We have set up a fundraising page for those who want to support their work. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, is welcome. All donations will go towards compensating Kisilu for his work, and expanding the model of adaptation and resilience to even more communities.

What has happened since the film was released?

• 30 new farmer self help groups have been created
• Kisilu's community have developed a report on the most pressing needs and proposed solutions in adaptation to climate change.
• Kisilu and his community have organized meetings with county level officials to voice their concerns.
• An earth dam has been constructed, on request from the community. The dam will provide water to 300 households during droughts and serve as a test site for new resilient farming techniques.
• 4 county governments have asked to use the film as a climate change awareness tool in their counties.
• Thank You For The Rain has been used as a pilot on using film in the classroom, developing comprehensive lesson plans using clips from the film.
• The film has been screened to more than 15.000 students in Kenya.
• Kisilu was featured on the most popular radio station in eastern Kenya reaching 1.6 million people.