Hens Hatching Hope: Un Huevo Cada Dia

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

Dear Friends:

In the photo above, you will see a very happy business woman.  Vicenta raises chickens and sells the eggs to Shoulder to Shoulder (StS).  StS then provides the eggs to mothers who have children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years.  Vicente is happy because the project allows her to bring in much needed income for her family.  

We are in the 4th month of our project, and are thrilled with our progress so far!  Celebrate our successes with us:

•  25 women are raising hens.
•  Provided micro-loans to 15 of the women, to help with start-up costs (total of $3200)
•  Twice per month, 15 eggs are given out to 285 children (total of 8,550 eggs per month)
•  At the end of each month, StS reimburses the women who are raising the hens (total of $1100)
•  We are working with a professor at the University of Indiana, who is studying the effects of eating an egg per day.  We have enrolled 285 children in this study.  In addition, we have enrolled 200 children into a control group.  The study will continue until January 2022.

This project is a WIN-WIN-WIN:

The CHILDREN eat healthy eggs.

The WOMEN receive income from their hens.

The COMMUNITY benefits from the infusion of money StS pays the women.

THANK YOU to all of our supporters.  This project would not exist if not for your belief in it and your support.

Laura

In early December, I traveled to Honduras, to visit our project.  Mostly, I wanted to get to know some of the women who are raising the hens -- to lay the eggs -- to provide to the children in our project.

Our project covers 20 communities, and Gisela and Sandra found one woman, in each community, who had the desire to raise  hens.  However, in about half of the cases, the women needed some funds to help get the project started.  We offered no-interest loans, of up to $250 per woman. The women will pay back the loans over the course of six months, through a reduction of the amount we pay them for the eggs we purchase for the children.

The loans allowed the women to puchase wire and wood (needed to build fenced cages for the hens); to purchase laying hens; and to purchase the feed for the hens.  With these funds, the women were ready to start the project!

It was such a pleasure to see the joy on the women's faces.  They are so excited about becoming "Business Women." Some of the women have experience raising hens and eggs; others are brand new at it.  But, they are all excited...and all are including their daughters in the project.

In the photo above, our team is visiting Alba, and her new hen project (Alba is new to raising hens).  In the photo below, you see the smiling faces of Carmen and her daughter (Carmen is more experienced with hens and eggs).