Elias dreams of a future where all children can go to school 

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When the rain doesn't come and there isn't enough food, 11-year-old Elias is affected both at home and at school. Hunger makes it hard for him to concentrate, and he loses the energy to play. But thanks to her newfound knowledge of farming, his mother, Mary, has more ways to provide food for the family.

Elias Wario Dida lives with his parents, two brothers, and three sisters in a pink and green house in the village of Golole, in northern Kenya. He is in fifth grade, and in his free time he enjoys playing with his friends and siblings. At home, he helps take care of the family’s animals and crops.

Mary Dida, a mother, is hugging her 11-year-old son, Elias. They are both smiling at the camera. In the background, you can see carvings on their colorful house.
Mom Mary Dida gives Elias Wario Dida a " hug." Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter
Eleven-year-old Elias from northern Kenya is standing in the doorway of his family’s colorful house. The house is painted turquoise, pink, and green. In front of the house, on the dry ground, are about ten pairs of sandals scattered haphazardly.
Elias is standing in the doorway of his family's home in Golole, in the Marsabit region of northern Kenya. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter.
Mary Dida, a mother, is hugging her 11-year-old son, Elias. They are both smiling at the camera. In the background, you can see carvings on their colorful house.
Mom Mary Dida gives Elias Wario Dida a " hug." Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter
Eleven-year-old Elias from northern Kenya is standing in the doorway of his family’s colorful house. The house is painted turquoise, pink, and green. In front of the house, on the dry ground, are about ten pairs of sandals scattered haphazardly.
Elias is standing in the doorway of his family's home in Golole, in the Marsabit region of northern Kenya. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter.

The family has goats, camels, cows, sheep, and chickens. When the rains come, they grow corn and beans, which end up on the table. The farm also has a small vegetable garden where they grow tomatoes, chili peppers, and bananas, among other things. But during the dry season, there isn’t always enough food.

“Sometimes that means we don’t get any dinner. In the morning, I feel hungry,” says Elias.

Hunger affects his entire school day. It’s hard for him to pay attention to the teacher, and sometimes he feels dizzy. During recess, he doesn’t always have the energy to play, either.

“We’re feeling down. No one is smiling or laughing. Not even the little kids are happy,” says Elias.

 

Hör Elias berätta med egna ord

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We feel down. No one is smiling or laughing. Not even the little kids are happy.
Elias Wario Dida
Elias Dida is looking intently at something. He is standing in his blue school uniform, with a backpack on his back, outside a school building made of corrugated metal in turquoise and off-white.
Elias outside Mwangaza Academy School. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter
A boy in a blue school uniform, carrying a backpack, is walking outside a school building made of sheet metal. The sun is shining, but the boy is walking in the shade beneath the overhanging school roof. The boy is walking away from the camera.
Elias on his way to class today at Mwangaza Academy School. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter
Elias Dida is looking intently at something. He is standing in his blue school uniform, with a backpack on his back, outside a school building made of corrugated metal in turquoise and off-white.
Elias outside Mwangaza Academy School. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter
A boy in a blue school uniform, carrying a backpack, is walking outside a school building made of sheet metal. The sun is shining, but the boy is walking in the shade beneath the overhanging school roof. The boy is walking away from the camera.
Elias on his way to class today at Mwangaza Academy School. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter

When the rain doesn't come, water also becomes scarce. The family gets up early to fetch water, but there are many people to share what little there is. Sometimes there isn't enough for people, animals, and crops.

Eleven-year-old Elias and his cousin, who is the same age, are loosening up the dry, brown soil in the vegetable garden with tools.
Elias Wario Dida and his cousin Samuel Jaldeza are loosening the soil in the Dida family’s garden so that water can reach the roots more easily. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter
Elias, an 11-year-old boy from northern Kenya, is crouching down and milking one of his family’s white goats. He collects the milk in a pink plastic jug.
Elias is milking one of the family's goats. It is his responsibility to take care of and milk the goats. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter
Eleven-year-old Elias and his cousin, who is the same age, are loosening up the dry, brown soil in the vegetable garden with tools.
Elias Wario Dida and his cousin Samuel Jaldeza are loosening the soil in the Dida family’s garden so that water can reach the roots more easily. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter
Elias, an 11-year-old boy from northern Kenya, is crouching down and milking one of his family’s white goats. He collects the milk in a pink plastic jug.
Elias is milking one of the family's goats. It is his responsibility to take care of and milk the goats. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter

Elias's mother, Mary Diba, has lived in the village for twenty years, and her days are filled with work. She prepares breakfast, helps the children get ready for school, takes care of the animals, works in her store, and fetches water for the home and the garden. 

Thanks to support from Erikshjälpen, Mary has gained new knowledge about farming and how families can prepare for the dry seasons. 

“It’s always been dry here, but I didn’t know how to farm before. Through the training programs, I’ve learned a lot, and now I farm so I can provide food for my family,” Mary says. 

Through these training programs, I've learned a lot, and now I grow crops so I can provide food for my family
Mary Dida
Mary Dida is harvesting the Sukuma variety of cabbage from her family's vegetable farm in northern Kenya. Mary places the Sukuma in a light pink tub.
Mary Dida is harvesting sukuma in her family's garden. Sukuma is a common variety of cabbage in Kenya. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter
Mary Dida is crouching in a simple building, chopping vegetables for tonight's dinner. In her mouth, she has a toothpick from one of the family's Salvadora persica trees.
Mary Dida is preparing today's dinner. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter
Mary Dida is harvesting the Sukuma variety of cabbage from her family's vegetable farm in northern Kenya. Mary places the Sukuma in a light pink tub.
Mary Dida is harvesting sukuma in her family's garden. Sukuma is a common variety of cabbage in Kenya. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter
Mary Dida is crouching in a simple building, chopping vegetables for tonight's dinner. In her mouth, she has a toothpick from one of the family's Salvadora persica trees.
Mary Dida is preparing today's dinner. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter

This knowledge gives Mary new opportunities to provide for her family, even when the rain doesn’t come. Now she dreams of expanding her garden with lemon and mango trees and more vegetables. She wants not only to be able to feed her family, but also to have the chance to share with others in the village. 

For Elias, the future is about something else. He wants more children to have the opportunity to go to school and learn new things. 

“When I grow up, I want to be a teacher. I want to make sure everyone has the chance to learn and gain knowledge. I also want to help children who aren’t in school to start going,” says Elias.

Eleven-year-old Elias is watering the vegetables in the family’s garden with a green watering can. In his other hand, he’s holding a tool used to loosen the soil. The tool is almost as long as Elias’s body. All around Elias are green crops, even though the brown soil is dry.
Eleven-year-old Elias stands among a bountiful harvest of green crops in his family’s vegetable garden in the arid landscape of northern Kenya.
Eleven-year-old Elias and his cousin are crouched down, intently weeding the vegetable garden. A green watering can is visible in the foreground.
Elias, an 11-year-old boy from northern Kenya, is holding one of his family’s white kittens in his arms. Elias smiles at the camera. A tall bush can be seen in the background.
Eleven-year-old Elias is watering the vegetables in the family’s garden with a green watering can. In his other hand, he’s holding a tool used to loosen the soil. The tool is almost as long as Elias’s body. All around Elias are green crops, even though the brown soil is dry.
Eleven-year-old Elias stands among a bountiful harvest of green crops in his family’s vegetable garden in the arid landscape of northern Kenya.
Eleven-year-old Elias and his cousin are crouched down, intently weeding the vegetable garden. A green watering can is visible in the foreground.
Elias, an 11-year-old boy from northern Kenya, is holding one of his family’s white kittens in his arms. Elias smiles at the camera. A tall bush can be seen in the background.
When I grow up, I want to be a teacher. I want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to learn and gain knowledge.
Elias Dida
Elias Wario Dida. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter

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Ten-year-old Buke Nura reaches out her hands and gathers the green, freshly cut cabbage. She is preparing food while wearing her green school uniform. Another student is holding a pile of cabbage in her hands. Two women can be seen in the background.

School meals give children the energy to learn

Children in school uniforms tend to and harvest vegetables in a Kenyan school garden. The children are deeply focused on their work.

School gardens provide knowledge that grows

Eleven-year-old Godana Guyo Liban is holding a large bunch of green sukuma in her hand. In the background, several other students in school uniforms can be seen.

For this year's Christmas campaign

Author: Martina Bohl

Published: 03 November 2026

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