Jiggers Eradication for Better Health

Join us in our mission to eliminate jiggers and improve community health standards.

Transforming Lives

Empowering Communities Through Health and Economic Support

Join Us in Making a Difference

Comprehensive Health and Wellness
From jigger eradication to SRHR programs, our health initiatives include school health appraisals, community health awareness camps, and the anti-jigger resource center. We also provide sanitary towels to support women's health and empowerment.
Economic Empowerment and Skills Development
Our youth and women empowerment programs focus on skills acquisition, small business loans, and agribusiness. We advocate, train, and support individuals to achieve financial independence and growth.
Emergency Support and Food Security
We establish emergency food depots and conduct food drives to feed the hungry, including the elderly and children. Our programs also include clothing donations and food supplements for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Service to Humanity

What Motivates Us at Feed and Tend

Addressing the Jigger Menace

  • Unparalleled Fulfillment
    Service to humanity brings a joy that cannot be compared to any other achievement. At Feed and Tend, we find true fulfillment in helping those in need. Learn More
  • A Willing Heart
    The only obstacle to helping the needy is not resources, but a willing and loving heart. We at Feed and Tend are committed to showing kindness to those in need. Our Mission
  • The Forgotten Ones
    We focus on helping jigger-ridden poor people, a group often forgotten by society. Our mission is to bring attention and aid to this neglected issue. Jigger Initiative

How are Jiggers a Problem?

According to an article published in the BMC Blog Network titled: Jiggers: A painful Infestation, many people living in tropical or sub-tropical regions are exposed to the risk of a debilitating infestation of these tiny sand-fleas, yet little is known of their epidemiology. 

A jigger infestation, known as tungiasis, can be very painful; I speak from personal experience.  This tiny sand-flea has a variety of other colloquial names including nigua, chigoe and bicho de pé (Portugues for foot-bug). The last one, and its scientific name, Tunga penetrans, giving clues to its habit, as the adult female burrows into the skin, usually of the foot.

Penetration of the skin causes intense itching and is followed by inflammation and acute pain. The jigger is evident as a small swollen lesion, with a black dot at the centre, which can grow to the size of a pea.

Severe pathology following an infestation is caused by bacteria entering the skin when the jigger penetrates. These infections can lead to abscess formation, tissue necrosis and gangrene. Tungiasis has also been associated with tetanus, possible due to the entry of the soil pathogen, Clostridium tetani into the wound. In addition, Wolbachia bacteria, present in the jigger, release inflammation-inducing lipopolysaccharides into the surrounding tissue when the females die.

If left untreated, jigger infestation can completely impair a patient's locomotive abilities, lead to retarded growth, promote poor brain development, or even kill.

Jiger Eradication
 

Feed and tend raises awareness about the Jigger menace and offers clinical services to both the affected and infected individuals across thecounties in the Western part of Kenya. Jigger Eradication requires a holistic approach that encompasses treatment, feeding, and ensuring thatthe environments in which the victims live meet the requisite safety and human health standards.

Organized Food Drives
 

Due to the debilitating effects of Jigger infestation, victims are normally incapable of fending for themselves, hence end up languishing in abject poverty, characterized by acute starvation, poor conditions of living, and poor health.

In order to temporarily mitigate these effects, during a treatment regime, we organize for food drives, either virtually or physically, to help the victims to quickly recuperate. Moreover, since our approach to jigger eradication is a holistic one, we ensure that a victim that has been attended to is well taken care of, hence the name "Feed and Tend". 

Transform Lives with Your Generosity

Your donation can provide meals, shelter, and hope to those in need. Make a difference today!

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