Thirty guardians (aged 13-25) of orphans will receive husbandry, basic veterinary, and budgeting training so that they are ready to receive the gift of guinea fowl to get the children in their care back to school.
Orphaned children drop out of school when there are no funds to pay for school fees and supplies. Their guardians are not able to pay for such things, either, as sometimes, they too, are adolescents. This project will train 30 young guardians so that they can earn the money needed in order to send the kids in their care (and themselves!) back to school.
A series of trainings will be given to a group of 30 adolescent guardians who are each caring for AIDS orphans. These trainings include husbandry and veterinary skills, as well as gardening, budgeting, and marketing. Besides trainings, each guardian and his/her foster children will receive 5 guinea fowl to start flocks. While the fowl cannot be eaten for a period of time so the flocks reproduce, the family will benefit from the eating and the sale of eggs and later, from the sale of birds.
When children are educated, they have an easier time finding jobs as adults and they also have a better sense of worth. We know that the kids in our programs love to go to school because they know it is the only way they'll get out of the cycle of poverty. And, when families do better, whole communities do so, as well. We are excited to see how the kids benefit and how they, bit by bit, change where they live and how they live.
