The local chicken farming project currently used is a non-profit substitute for raising money to improve living standards for HIV/AIDS victims and orphans/vulnerable children (OVC). Only a small amount goes to the sellers and workers to pay for transport and some food.
I was approached during my first few months at site to assist with how to start a chicken farming project that would benefit the locals. I thought, sure, “I like chicken. How hard could this be?” Harder than I expected, but luckily if you know the right people to talk to or where to start, it’s not so bad.Step One: First I had to make sure this group of locals were serious enough to stick to the plan from beginning to end. Sometimes plans don’t always follow through or work out and that’s okay. Next I went to see the land they wanted to use and get a better idea of what exactly they needed/wanted. Find out how much knowledge this group actually had on chicken farming, which luckily every person could have an important role.
Step two: One of the women knew how to care for chickens and raise them properly. One of the men knew how to build fences and other small projects. And another man and woman knew how to run a business for selling. So overall I didn’t have to help with the actual farming in a sense other than how to start and go about the proposal ideas and numbers. We decided on starting out with 50 chickens (many different types for eating, eggs, etc.) and measured how large the living space would need to be (there are many resources from other volunteers or online and with locals you can get).
Step three: Then we made several lists (Peace Corps has a great workshop for grant writing that gives examples on how to write proposals and make budgets/quotes) on what items would need to be purchased and where we could get them. Also a quote for prices from at least three different stores. (For products to use make sure you ask the locals of any issues they run into usually for instance, this group had problems with predators eating their chickens, so we bought flood lights that turn on automatically, used smaller wire fences so creatures couldn’t crawl in. We made the fence high and dug the bottom poles into the ground a couple of feet, so animals couldn’t dig. There should also be a separate place that’s indoors where chickens can sleep safely and that sits up high off the ground). We requested several brochures and information from local banks who give loans for these types of projects and gave them our quotes and the number of workers, costs for labor and land (sometimes a headman can donate land and you can put a price on that to add to your loan). There is also the option for getting grants from PEPFAR and other organizations, especially if it’s HIV-related, but this group wanted to build a credit by going through the banks.
Step four: Waiting for a grant or loan to go through can take awhile, but once it does makes sure you save all your receipts from items purchased! You should take a before and after picture of the site you plan to use for the project. You definitely want to be a part of your projects you help with, but it’s also good to let the locals do their thing since it is their baby after all. But you should go and check-up on them every now and then to see the progress and let them know you’re still around. Once they finish you can help them spread the word on a bazzar or event where they start to sell their product, and also purchase some yourself.
Step five: For projects similar to this one where people may not be trained or have the knowledge (I have had a couple of these as well) it is good to do as much research as possible and talk to other locals who have been successful, so you are knowledgeable to help others. On a side note, once you teach one group of people something, then they can help teach others (a little thing called sustainability). The first group I worked with had the knowledge, so I was able to have them meet with others who wanted to follow through with the same projects, but didn’t know enough to start it on their own.
This is a spark notes version of how to do this project, but overall the best thing you can do to prepare yourself or make it work is to:
1. Take advantage of resources from Peace Corps and PCVS
2. Talk to the locals (people in the village/towns or businesses) for advice
3. Research the internet or read a book
April Fredricks, 34
Peace Corps Namibia 