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Grantee Highlight: When Life Gives You Lemons, Build a Chicken Coop!<\/span><\/p>\n The Ababiti-bantu Women\u2019s Group and Gender Integrated Development Program, Uganda<\/span><\/p>\n In the Kasekenya Village of the Pallisa District of Uganda, there is an outstanding group of women known as the Ababiti-bantu Women\u2019s Group. Many of these women are living with HIV, disabilities, or have children with disability. In 2003, they made the conscious decision to come together in order to encourage each other and to collectively improve their lives. When living with an illness or disability, having a stable support group in one\u2019s community becomes crucial for mental well being.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2012, the women discovered a Ugandan organisation called the Gender Integrated Development Program (GIDP). The mission of GIDP is to \u201cprovide capacity building services to enable marginalized groups to articulate their mutual concerns and demands, and promote their productivity sustainably for better and equitable livelihoods and self-help\u201d (Global Giving). There is also a focus on aiding people living with HIV. Taking the next logical step, the Ababiti-bantu women approached GIDP for support in setting up means of earning income, since most did not have ways of doing so. GIDP and the women decided that poultry keeping would work best for them due to its simplicity and their prior experiences with free-range poultry. After this assessment, GIDP enlisted the financial support of the African Women\u2019s Development Fund based on these needs.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The women\u2019s clan of chickens!<\/span><\/p>\n Of course AWDF agreed to fund this project and GIDP received the necessary grant. Next, the women were put in charge of finding a piece of land on which the poultry house could be built. Amina Nabusigo, the group\u2019s treasurer, had a place in mind and donated it to the cause. After the construction, twenty-three of the thirty-two members were trained in poultry rearing at a two-day training workshop. Then, the women were given 300 chicks, feed and medication for the animals. The group divided into three teams that take turns in managing the poultry farm. They even created a seven-person management committee that oversees the project in general. The farms were set up in September 2012 and the chicks started laying eggs in March 2013. As a result, the women have acquired poultry rearing and business management skills, which they use in managing the projects and are applying to their individual endeavors as well. Many of the women have even started breeding chicks in their homes applying the knowledge and skills gained.<\/span><\/p>\n The poultry project has given the women confidence, visibility and respect in their communities. Currently they have negotiated with hotels in the outlying areas that buy their eggs on a cash basis. These negotiations were entirely initiated by the women without the help of GIDP. They are effectively managing their sales and have adopted good saving habits because sales of the eggs are always banked immediately. A good perk is that every two weeks the group members get some eggs to supplement their own diets. With the continuation of all of these good practices, the project is definitely building up capital but not so much so that sharing of profits has begun. The women say that they are appreciative of the eggs they get and look forward to building the capital and for profit sharing to start. Since March 2013 the group has collected and sold 86 crates of eggs at a cost of 8,600 Ugandan shillings ($3.5) each.<\/span><\/p>\n The poultry project has really worked wonders in creating a more unified group of women who feel empowered by their ability to run a successful business. With their improved outlooks on life, they are better able to be there for each other through difficult times. It is even true that some of the group members\u2019 husbands are so happy about the determination, perseverance and hard work of the women that they sometimes help out at the poultry house!<\/span><\/p>\n AWDF is proud to have been able to be a part of this story and that the women are well on their way to leading prosperous and happy lives with their poultry house!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The Ababiti-bantu women in celebration of their hard work!<\/span><\/p>\n Story and photos collected during a personal visit by: Beatrice Boakye-Yiadom (AWDF Grants Manager) and Gifty Ayebea Anim (AWDF Grants Administrator)<\/span><\/p>\n Words by Emily Barnard (AWDF Communications Intern)<\/span><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20140328195848im_\/http:\/\/www.africlub.net\/awdf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/chicks.jpg\")
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