By Frankline | Partner in Africa
In the rural community of Miwani, Kenya, education had always been a dream rather than a right, a situation greatly influenced by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Our small kindergarten school (Restoring Hopes Academy) was struggling to stay open due to the lack of funds to pay teachers’ salaries. Many families are jobless and only depend on their subsistence farming to earn a meager income leaving children without consistent learning. RHM and AFCA realised that something had to change, and our solution came in the form of an innovative chicken-rearing project.
A Daring Idea
American Foundation for Children with Aids (AFCA) brainstormed ways to support Restoring Hope Academy in paying their teachers a livable salary. Together we came up with a chicken project. The idea was simple yet promising: raise chickens, sell eggs and meat, and use the profits to pay teacher salaries. We both endorsed the idea, and AFCA started working on funding to build a chicken coop that would house 100 layers.
Building the Project
The project started modestly with 50 chickens housed in a coop built on Restoring Hopes property. Next, we employed one woman to care for the flock - an AIDS widow who was thrilled to have a job that would pay her fairly. To ensure the chickens thrived, we sought training in poultry management by the county government where we learned about feeding, vaccinations, and maintaining hygiene.
After the first set of chicks grew enough to start laying eggs, we added a further 50 layers so that there will always be eggs available. A third set of layers is being added again at the time of this report.
Supporting Teachers
Within months, this chicken project began generating income little by little, always knowing that the end goal was going to be a huge boost for our school. With approximately 90-95 eggs being laid daily, a specific amount is set aside so that the children at the local orphanage and at the school eat eggs for protein and good fats and the majority of eggs are sold in the local market. The profits are used to pay the teachers a livable salary. As the flock is growing year after year, we expect the revenue to be growing as well. Right now there is a sense of excitement as we know that the school will be able to provide regular good salaries to our teachers, ensuring that teachers stay motivated and focused on their work. Because a new group of chicks is added each year, we will always have eggs!
Benefits Beyond Salaries
The chicken project is not just about keeping teachers in classrooms - it creates additional benefits for the community:
Nutrition: Eggs are distributed to kids at school and at our small orphanage, improving their diets and reducing malnutrition. It is incredible how children can concentrate better when they aren’t hungry and when their bodies have enough fat and protein to function properly!
Jobs: The project has created a job for one widow (Mama Consolata) who is managing the chickens and who is selling produce at the market. She has been trained in chicken management, showing her that we value her and that she is an integral part of this project.
Skills Training: The project taught valuable entrepreneurial and agricultural skills to RHM and to the community, equipping us for future income-generating activities. AFCA has taught us budgeting and management and they hold us to a high expectation.
Community and partner unity: The initiative strengthened community ties and our partner unity as everyone worked together toward a shared goal.
Sustaining Education
Today, Restoring Hopes Academy is thriving. The classrooms are full, the teachers are well-paid and the kids are excelling. The chicken project has become a model for how organisations /communities can take control of their challenges and create sustainable solutions.
What began as a desperate attempt to keep teachers in classrooms has turned into a story of empowerment, showing that even a humble flock of chickens can transform a community and secure a brighter future for its children.
This far it’s God and our wonderful partner (AFCA) whom we’d like to thank as we could not have done this without your support . EROKAMANO!!!! EROKAMANO AHINYA!!!!.
By Frankline | Partner in Africa
By Frankline | Partner in Africa
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