Elderly grandmothers are the caretakers of the majority of AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe. With little income, their own health issues to deal with, tiny houses, and no social services department to give them a hand, these women are often in charge of raising 5-8 children. We will not only provide husbandry training to these women, but also chickens to raise, helping them provide for the children in their care.
Elderly women are often in charge of raising 5-8 AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe. They are often left with grandchildren when their children die, or nephews and nieces, or children from the village who have no one to care for them. These women can receive livestock in order to help the children in their care, but they must also receive training - husbandry, veterinary, and budgeting.
We will provide five trainings to a group of 15 Gogos (grandmothers) in Zimbabwe, who are each caring for orphans. These trainings will include basic husbandry and veterinary skills, as well as gardening, budgeting, and marketing. Besides the trainings, each Gogo and her foster children will receive five chickens with which to start flocks. While the chickens cannot be eaten for a specific period of time (so the flocks grow), the family will benefit from eating and the sale of eggs.
Fifteen grandmothers will receive training in how to properly care for small livestock as well as budgeting and veterinary skills. And, the grandmother-headed families will each receive five chickens with which to start flocks. This training and gift of animals will help the 15 families step outside the cycle of poverty by providing them with protein to eat immediately, but also by providing them with a small business as chicken farmers. Continued support through the year will also be given.