At PACTPAN, empowering young Catholics to be leaders in their communities is a crucial priority. PACTPAN Academy’s “African Digital Faith Influencers Faith Formation Program” began to strengthen the faith, spirituality, and digital knowledge of emerging lay faith leaders within Africa. Under the theme of “Empowering Digital Disciples: Building Bridges of Faith and Social Justice across Africa,” Youth Leaders were trained and mentored to create projects within their community. This month we highlight the impactful example of Dominic Mulwa and his project focused on “ Nurturing Farmers for a Sustainable Future” in Kenya.
Food insecurity and water scarcity is ubiquitous in Domnic’s village. In his report, he recounted the experience of going to sleep “on an empty stomach” and “hoping that tomorrow will be better.” His family often relied on food aid from the Government or from Comboni Missionaries.
“We were not lazy but sometimes I wonder why despite working tirelessly in our shambas we still harvested little or nothing. This made me hate farming,” Dominic explained. And yet, when he encountered the NGO Yara East Africa he began to learn about modern farming technologies. With an improved boost to his harvest, he began to see potential, and then, an opportunity.
“I saw grace when the Digital Faith Influencers Course offered a chance to undertake a project in the community.” In consultation with his mentor Willy Mba Mbo, he began to develop a project focused on farming, knitting, and soap making. Farming was the long-term goal, with short term economic projects on knitting and soap making.
Using the “Farmer Field School Model,” the goal was to target sixty beneficiaries. The project focused on choice of high-quality certified seeds, conservation agriculture with training on laying dam liners, terracing, mulching, and growing avocado and mango seedlings. After three months of germination, they will be trained on grafting procedures by a grafting expert. It is a long-term sustainability project – after 5 years the villager will be able to start harvesting fruit and selling at market. Additionally, other seeds were distributed for shorter term food and economic production – such as maize.
Already, they have distributed the certified seeds. Sixty bags were distributed, and 15 hectares of maize was planted this season. Keeping focus on sustainable practices and training, soil testing was done and each beneficiary worked with to identify soil needs (such as nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, etc). They have selected young people for training in modern soil testing and providing soil testing kits through collaboration with Ujuzi Kilmo, which allows for them to be paid to test soil.
Focused on communal development and sustainability, Dominic’s project also included short term economic programs on soap making and basket weaving. Thus far, 17 women and youth have received training on basketry, weaving and knitting. Skilled women elders in the community were selected to train the younger women building community, sharing our traditions, and recognizing skill. These programs began in Spring 2025. Prioritizing inclusion, the project manager and trainer worked with the two disabled beneficiaries – one is now making Catholic rosaries that he is selling.
Dominic Mulwa and his project illustrates the impact and importance of the Youth Digital Faith Influencers program. As he puts Laudato Si’ into practice, he is attentive to inclusion, building community across generations, and the need for both short term and long-term plans.
His project and many others would not be possible without the generous donors and partners of PACTPAN.
We are grateful to those who make this work possible. To our faithful donors and friends, thank you for believing in the power of young voices and the vision of a trafficking-free Africa. To those learning about PACTPAN for the first time, we invite you to walk this journey with us.
Because together, in faith and in action, we are partnering with the youth leaders as they live out their faith and strengthen their communties.
