Bishop Titus Masika, together with his wife, Rev Agnes Masika, are the founders and directors of Christian Impact Mission (CIM), a non-governmental development agency that continuously develops models and training tools for community development. The impact of their project has won national and international acclaim. They have made a significant contribution to the transformation efforts in Ukambani. Many people thought that nothing good could come out of Makutano-Yatta, Kenyatta Division of Machakos County, a gazette semi-arid area whose perennial drought is the subject of many. According to climate-data.org, Machakos County receives an annual rainfall average of 829 mm/32.6 inches. They were right. The region receives slight rain, and its unproductive soil reduced the Yatta people to dependents of donor aid. Enough was enough! The community declared. They wanted transformation. Therefore, in 2009 Bishop Masika had to radically change the people’s views about aid, so they launched Operation Mwolyo Out [OMO], Mwolyo means relief in Akamba. Bishop Masika was ready to lead the community out of dependency.
“Being a semi-arid land, water was a constant problem in Yatta. People walked for more than 20km daily in search of water. And OMO addressed this by exploring water harvesting technology to supplement the scanty rainwater,” Bishop Masika stated. He had a five-year plan; in which period, the community was to have sufficient food and water. To get this done, villagers dug up pans of 20ft deep to collect rainwater. In fact, each homestead has up to two pans. The villagers were excited about what they had achieved, for the water collected in the pans is used to irrigate crops to maturity. Slowly but steadily, this led to food security in the region.
BELOW IS A PICTURE OF BISHOP TITUS MASIKA AND MAVUNO INTITUTE STUDENTS CLASS OF 2023 AT YATTA.
Esther, who has lived in Yatta all her life, says she has seen her community transform from dependency to self-sustainability. “Five years ago, poverty was widespread in this area because the harsh conditions could not allow us to farm. We could barely make ends meet. Everything was a struggle, and it was hard to raise school fees. But today, I am a farmer,” she says with a tinge of pride.
Overreliance on donors does more harm than good,don't you think 🤔so?.Titus Masika, at the age of 50 when he took an early retirement, recognized this problem. Determined to change the situation, he championed Operation Relief Out. This initiative aimed at enabling people to harness the resources within and around them to be self-sufficient in Yatta. The real change came slowly; however, the farmers in Yatta broke the cycle of food relief reliance. According to a new report by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), about 42 per cent of the country’s (Kenya) development expenditure is donor-financed. Kenyan leaders should learn from Bishop Masika’s model to transform the Kenyan people's mindset. Corbett and Fikkert, authors of When Helping Hurts, suggest that those who desire to help should start by discerning the type of need that exists. After the crisis has been averted, it is important to move quickly into “Rehabilitation” and “Development.” The sad fact is that some people are not ready to seek rehabilitation or claim any responsibility for their condition. However, Kenyan leaders can begin to learn how to identify charities, agencies, and donors that are able to help those in need make the transition from relief to rehabilitation and development.
👉 Say no! to dependency on doners. Counties in Kenya needs change and transformational experience like yatta community had with the help of God using Bishop Titus Masika .
