Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Mountbellew campus is a Teagasc agricultural partner college located about 50km outside of Galway city.
Established in 1904 by the Franciscan Brothers, it was originally operated to meet the needs of rural Ireland, and was also established with an ethos of charity and community involvement. Today this ethos continues, but is augmented by Mountbellew’s emphasis on agricultural sustainability.
Fifty years ago, the Franciscan Brothers also established a sister college to Mountbellew in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley.
According to the Teagasc website, “Baraka Agriculture College was founded in 1974 by the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru to educate and train the newly settled people of Rift Valley in Kenya. The college is governed and managed by the Franciscan Brothers.”
Agriculture is the main source of income and food for many living in this region and the focus in this college is teaching best practice, subsistence and sustainability.
Development Pamoja Women's Discussion Group. \ Edna Curley
Recently, Mountbellew principal Edna Curley visited Kenya for the first time alongside Anne Marie Butler (Teagasc head of education), a small delegation from Teagasc.
In conversation with Irish Country Living, Edna describes the experience as “powerful” and “emotional”, saying the people she encountered showed great hospitality and gave a warm welcome.
“It’s not too unlike Ireland,” she says, laughing. “I had more tea on this trip than you could imagine!”
Education and celebration
Edna had never been to Kenya, but has always been involved in their sister college, Baraka.
“Strictly speaking, when looking at the Franciscan Brother connection, you would really call Baraka a ‘daughter’ college, but I prefer the term 'sister college,'” she explains. “We have two such colleges in Africa – Baraka in Kenya and Adraa in Uganda.
Edna was given gifts (like this home-grown produce) and blessings wherever she visited. \ Edna Curley
“I went on this trip with Anne Marie [Butler] and two former Teagasc employees,” she continues.
“Next year, Baraka College is 50 years in existence and Mountbellew will be 120 years old. I had meant to go on a visit to Kenya before COVID, so this year I thought I should go to start the planning of these [upcoming] celebrations.”
As it would happen, the trip also concerned a dairy programme in Kenya in which Teagasc is heavily involved. For this programme, Baraka has partnered with Teagasc, Greenfield International, Self-Help Africa and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) to deliver a new dairy research programme meant to help smallholders living in the region.
“So we travelled with two hats on, really,” Edna explains. “We were there to learn about the educational aspect within Baraka Agriculture College and also for this dairy programme.”
Emotional
Edna says it was an emotional trip, as they often spoke with people who were “one economic shock away from being destitute”.
Meeting with women who have lost their husbands and are raising families on tiny plots of land and speaking with groups of young women through organisations like Brighter Communities or Development Pamoja, which brings together women in a discussion group setting, was moving.
“Deirdre Hennessy’s [Teagasc] brother, James, coordinates Pamoja,” Edna says. “We met with one group that James works with.
"All the men left the room, they brought in an interpreter, and we had the most powerful discussion just about the things they go through as women in Kenya.
“It was promised that their husbands or fathers would never hear a word of what was discussed and they had never had the chance to speak so openly and freely. We spoke about domestic violence, contraception, land ownership – everything.
"Did you know that any animal which is hip-height or below can be owned by a woman [so chicken or goat], while anything above that height has to be owned by a man?”
Blessings and ceremonies
Edna says everywhere they went they were presented with gifts, blessings and special ceremonies to wish them a safe journey.
Edna and Anne Marie Butler of Teagasc are pictured here with Baraka Agriculture College staff. \ Edna Curley
Their time at Baraka included aims to help develop a new Level 6 programme in agriculture, as currently the college only goes to a Level 5. Despite this, Edna says there are very few differences in the level of education on offer.
“At Baraka, there is much more emphasis on sustainability and subsistence - their scale is much smaller than ours - but it’s so much more important that sustainable agriculture works for them.
"We did notice that, for example, if I went into a Level 5 classroom here in Ireland and asked the students why they were there, it would largely be ‘because we have to’; in Kenya, the answer is ‘I want to learn how to farm sustainably so I can go home and show my parents and neighbours and make my community better'."
Moving forward, Edna says she would like to see more cultural and educational exchange happening between Baraka and Mountbellew.
“I want to see more instructors coming to Mountbellew from Kenya and I would like to see more instructors going to Kenya from Mountbellew. We need more person-based experience.”
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Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Mountbellew campus is a Teagasc agricultural partner college located about 50km outside of Galway city.
Established in 1904 by the Franciscan Brothers, it was originally operated to meet the needs of rural Ireland, and was also established with an ethos of charity and community involvement. Today this ethos continues, but is augmented by Mountbellew’s emphasis on agricultural sustainability.
Fifty years ago, the Franciscan Brothers also established a sister college to Mountbellew in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley.
According to the Teagasc website, “Baraka Agriculture College was founded in 1974 by the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru to educate and train the newly settled people of Rift Valley in Kenya. The college is governed and managed by the Franciscan Brothers.”
Agriculture is the main source of income and food for many living in this region and the focus in this college is teaching best practice, subsistence and sustainability.
Development Pamoja Women's Discussion Group. \ Edna Curley
Recently, Mountbellew principal Edna Curley visited Kenya for the first time alongside Anne Marie Butler (Teagasc head of education), a small delegation from Teagasc.
In conversation with Irish Country Living, Edna describes the experience as “powerful” and “emotional”, saying the people she encountered showed great hospitality and gave a warm welcome.
“It’s not too unlike Ireland,” she says, laughing. “I had more tea on this trip than you could imagine!”
Education and celebration
Edna had never been to Kenya, but has always been involved in their sister college, Baraka.
“Strictly speaking, when looking at the Franciscan Brother connection, you would really call Baraka a ‘daughter’ college, but I prefer the term 'sister college,'” she explains. “We have two such colleges in Africa – Baraka in Kenya and Adraa in Uganda.
Edna was given gifts (like this home-grown produce) and blessings wherever she visited. \ Edna Curley
“I went on this trip with Anne Marie [Butler] and two former Teagasc employees,” she continues.
“Next year, Baraka College is 50 years in existence and Mountbellew will be 120 years old. I had meant to go on a visit to Kenya before COVID, so this year I thought I should go to start the planning of these [upcoming] celebrations.”
As it would happen, the trip also concerned a dairy programme in Kenya in which Teagasc is heavily involved. For this programme, Baraka has partnered with Teagasc, Greenfield International, Self-Help Africa and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) to deliver a new dairy research programme meant to help smallholders living in the region.
“So we travelled with two hats on, really,” Edna explains. “We were there to learn about the educational aspect within Baraka Agriculture College and also for this dairy programme.”
Emotional
Edna says it was an emotional trip, as they often spoke with people who were “one economic shock away from being destitute”.
Meeting with women who have lost their husbands and are raising families on tiny plots of land and speaking with groups of young women through organisations like Brighter Communities or Development Pamoja, which brings together women in a discussion group setting, was moving.
“Deirdre Hennessy’s [Teagasc] brother, James, coordinates Pamoja,” Edna says. “We met with one group that James works with.
"All the men left the room, they brought in an interpreter, and we had the most powerful discussion just about the things they go through as women in Kenya.
“It was promised that their husbands or fathers would never hear a word of what was discussed and they had never had the chance to speak so openly and freely. We spoke about domestic violence, contraception, land ownership – everything.
"Did you know that any animal which is hip-height or below can be owned by a woman [so chicken or goat], while anything above that height has to be owned by a man?”
Blessings and ceremonies
Edna says everywhere they went they were presented with gifts, blessings and special ceremonies to wish them a safe journey.
Edna and Anne Marie Butler of Teagasc are pictured here with Baraka Agriculture College staff. \ Edna Curley
Their time at Baraka included aims to help develop a new Level 6 programme in agriculture, as currently the college only goes to a Level 5. Despite this, Edna says there are very few differences in the level of education on offer.
“At Baraka, there is much more emphasis on sustainability and subsistence - their scale is much smaller than ours - but it’s so much more important that sustainable agriculture works for them.
"We did notice that, for example, if I went into a Level 5 classroom here in Ireland and asked the students why they were there, it would largely be ‘because we have to’; in Kenya, the answer is ‘I want to learn how to farm sustainably so I can go home and show my parents and neighbours and make my community better'."
Moving forward, Edna says she would like to see more cultural and educational exchange happening between Baraka and Mountbellew.
“I want to see more instructors coming to Mountbellew from Kenya and I would like to see more instructors going to Kenya from Mountbellew. We need more person-based experience.”
atu.ie
Read more
Four locations shortlisted for new veterinary school, Minister Harris confirms
Editorial: what does advocacy mean to you?
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