Turkana is a dry land, on the edge of the Sahara. Water is not a gurantee. This child is drawing water from a communal tap - to quench his own thirst and to water the nearby trees.

Water tankers like this one are a common sight in Kenya's northern regions. Water is expensive, but in the dry season, for many, water tankers are the only option.

The Turkana Needy Children's Home is the site of a tree planting scheme which aims to combat the effects of desertification and rising temperatures.

John and Pamela E lead the Pioneers team in Kakuma and run the tree project. Having grown up in the area, John remembers a time before the desert came and the trees disappeared.

Only a few short years ago, the compound at the Children's Home was dry and dusty, without shade...

Now, the team's dream of using the trees as an anchor for church planting activities in Kakuma and the nearby Kakuma Refugee Camp are slowly becoming a reality.

During our visit, each of us was invited to plant a tree. Our national director, Stephen C, receives a seedling from one of the young people who live on the compound.

The Kakuma Team is made up of seven families, all from East Africa. Jonathan and Evelyn serve amongst the poor in a village 35km away from Kakuma.

John and the team also minister to refugees within the Kakuma Refugee Camp, one of the largest refugee camps in the world. These women have gathered to worship the Lord and hear the Word taught by their pastor, Dominic, himself a refugee from South Sudan.

Residents of the refugee camp live with great uncertainty and in deep poverty. But the joy of the Lord remains their strength.

The team is scattered across Turkana county, but rare moments of togetherness bring joy.

Beauty from ashes, seedlings from cracked earth. Joy despite hard circumstances. In Christ, growth, hope, joy, and life are inevitable.