Hens Hatching Hope: Un Huevo Cada Dia

With every egg that is given, we see a child grow. Yet, the program is successful because the mothers come to a monthly appointment where their children are weighed and measured, and then they receive eggs to cook at home. Our "Mother Hens" are an essential part of our project. We recently interviewed a group of mothers to hear how they felt things were going.  Here are some quotes from the mothers:

There is reliability in the program:

• "Because we receive the eggs on time from farms within our community."
• "Good! Well, I liked it! Look, I was one of the mothers who was not going to weigh, because I have 2 small children, but I am already going with this program, and that day we set it aside to go to the weighing."

They are seeing the effects of the program in the child:

• "The strength is that it helps them with their growth and their weight. They grow better, they are more active, they play more and they no longer get sick."
• "They eat the eggs with love, because they like eggs”. 

Receiving eggs is helping their family economy:

• "I think it is to help a little the economy of the community, of the family, and that little help helps us to buy some medicine for the children or buy them some clothes."
• "...that little money you do not spend on the egg is used to buy other things to be able to eat..."

We are truly happy to know that our biggest allies, our "Mother Hens," are onboard, and alongside them we can continue to make this project a success. All our mothers send thank you to all of those who have given to this project, to their children, to their communities and its future leaders. 

We hope this report brought a smile to your face as it did to ours, we are only able to do this thanks to your continued support and generosity. 

With gratitude, 

Mariela Rodriguez

Communication Coordinator

mariela@shouldertoshoulder.org

We are halfway through 2022 and our nutrition project has now been running successfully for 18 months. In that time we have served 300 children between the ages of 6 to 24 months.

Hens Hatching Hope started as a simple idea of providing one egg a day per child to support nutrition. And eggs seemed like a great place to start because they are a staple food of Honduran cuisine. Our team worked hand-in-hand with local health promoters who did monthly height and weight checks. Once a mother brought in her child, they received another ticket for 30 more free eggs. Health promoters have seen HIGH compliance as the mothers come in excited to receive next month's supply. Making both the mothers and the health promoters happy. 

Additionally, we have supported 27 women starting their own small businesses to produce and provide eggs for our project - building the producers into the community. All of our "farms" are doing well and have even been able to sell extra eggs for profit.

As a result of this combination, we are excited to EXPAND our project moving forward to include children up to 36 months for our second year. Meaning, our hens are hatching more hope in Intibuca. With this expansion we will now be benefiting 500 children plus our 27 farms have all decided to continue partnering with us!

We are hoping year 2 will be just as successful in supporting the nutrition of these children and their futures. Thank you for entrusting us to make this project possible.

Shoulder to Shoulder is thrilled to announce that we were chosen as GlobalGiving’s October 2021 PROJECT OF THE MONTH for our Hens Hatching Hope: Un Huevo Cada Dia program! 

Our work in providing micro-loans to women so that they can raise hens was selected from a pool of more than 5,000 nonprofit projects in 170+ countries. Nearly 3,000 donors come together and make monthly donations to keep the Project of the Month going. 

This extra support means the world to us—and to the community in Intibucá, Honduras. Over the course of the next year, we’ll use these additional funds to expand our network of small women-run hens and eggs businesses.  Our goal is two-fold:  (1) to increase the current 25 hen-hatching businesses to 30 and (2) to provide an egg a day to 400 children, from our current 300 children.  

We can’t thank you enough for your continued compassion and generosity. 

With gratitude, 

Laura Manship

Executive Director

It's hard to believe -- but we're almost at the end of our first year of Hens Hatching Hope: Un Huevo Cada Dia.

We started this project in January 2021.  This is what we have accomplished so far:

 - 25 women, in 25 different communities, are raising hens

- 300 mothers take their children (6 months - 2 years) to monthly check ups at the health centers.  They receive a ticket for 30 free eggs.

- 300 children receive an egg a day through the project.

- Children's heights and weights were taken in January 2021, July 2021, and again in January 2022.  We are working with a professor at the University of Southern Georgia, to analyze the data.  

Currently, we are in the process of evaluating the year, and working on improvements we want to make for our second year.  

WE ARE SO THRILLED THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO RUN THIS PROJECT FOR A SECOND YEAR. 

We couldn't have done it without our wonderful donors and supporters!

Dear Friend:

Greetings from Honduras.  I just returned to the US from a two week trip to Honduras.  I had a busy, but very enjoyable, time.

I was excited to go and visit two of the women who are raising hens, and two of the families who are recipients of the daily egg program.

• Gabriela used the micro-loan StS provided to purchase hens and build an enclosure for them.  She currently has 30 hens.  With these hens, she provides 30 eggs per month to 20 children in the program.  Gabriela is not selling eggs to anyone else.  The extra eggs are eaten by her family (her husband and 5 daughters).
• Reyna used her micro-loan to build an enclosure for her hens.  She currently has 150 hens, and has room to raise 300 hens.  She provides 30 eggs per month to 25 children.  Her husband takes the extra eggs and sells them to local stores.  He does not have a car, so he puts the eggs in cartons, and carries them on the back of his horse. 
• Wendy and her daughter (in the photo above) are very grateful to be part of the program.  Her husband works in the fields, and they have very little money.  Wendy feels that her daughter is healthier, now that she eats eggs every day.
• Sarai is a 24 year old mother.  She has a 1 year old daughter, and they live with Sarai's mother, grandmother, sister, and niece.  The family is very grateful to receive the 30 eggs/month.

We are in the 6th month of the program, and are very pleased with how it is going.

Thank you for your support,

Laura Manship