A narrow path, iron made houses and open sewers are the scenery that welcomes you to Ghetto village situated in Kiamaiko area east of Nairobi.
“Welcome to Thabiti Young Mothers Group poultry farm,” says 38-year-old JecintaWanjikuMuthoni as she ushers me into a converted old house that house the birds.
At the center of the house is the feeding area filled with a dozen of chicken while the corner of the house is the hatching area.
Muthoni, who is the chair lady of 30-member Thabiti Young Mothers Group, says the idea of chicken rearing was conceived at Bar Hostess Wellness Centre during one of their support group meetings.
“We were a group of 30 women living with HIV and while discussing what income generating activity we wanted to venture in, the majority suggested chicken rearing, a market we realized had few players in our village,” she reckons.
Muthoni says they started with 40 chicken which was purchased by Bar Hostess Empowerment and Support Programme {BHESP} and without formal training, they ventured into poultry farming.
After few weeks of intense hard work, the layers were starting to lay eggs while the broilers were ready for the market.
“In December 2016 we managed to sell 15 broilers costing Ksh. 800 each and in January we sold 10 broilers costing Ksh. 500 each and we managed to make Ksh. 17,000 in total,” Muthoni explains.
Muthoni, who is a mother of 3, says they use the earnings from the poultry rearing to buy more chickens, medicine and feeds while the remainder was put into a savings account.
“We normally use part of the savings to buy food for orphaned children who are HIV positive. I also give out one egg to the children every week to boost their immune system,” she says.
Muthoni says to attain their success, a lot has to be put in taking care of the chicken.
“Every member of the group has a responsibility to ensure the chicken are well taken care of. We have a duty roster and everyone knows her day to come and take care of the chickens,” she says.
Muthoni is happy that the poultry farming has brought them together and is keeping them busy and engaged.
“Before the project, we felt neglected and stigmatized because of our HIV positive status. A majority of our members resolved to take alcohol and other drugs. But now thanks to this project we feel we are part and parcel of the community,” she concludes.
