VTC trains and empowers female heads of households to become independent chicken farms so they produce nutritious eggs and meat to feed their families.
The people living in Kakuma and Kalobeyei have long struggled with hunger related issues. This is especially the case for Kakuma’s many households that are headed up by single women. The struggles refugee women face in the camp are compounded by the isolation many of them experience during their lives in exile. With traditional community social networks disrupted, entrenched poverty, lack of opportunities, and often traumatic backstories exacerbating the situation, life in the camp can be extremely difficult for women and their children who rely on them as the breadwinner of their families.
With funding from Credit Agricole Assurances, VTC has developed a training course for female heads of households to set up their own chicken farms . Through the production of eggs and meat, these chicken farmers are empowered to support the needs of their families and wider communities. The training program provides the participants with all the materials they need to start their own chicken coops and hatchling chickens which they raise over the course of the 6 months program. In addition to providing this livelihood training, the project brings women from different backgrounds together and helps them to better cope with their lives in exile.
VTC is currently training 10 refugee women in its inaugural 6 month-long training course. We hope to replicate this programme next year and to increase participant intake to at least 30 participants per training session.
Benefit of Chickens
Chickens are an ideal animal to raise in Kakuma. They grow quickly to provide an abundant source of meat and eggs and have the added bonus of eating scorpions (scorpion bites are a major problem in the camp, especially for children), thus saving people in the community from a lot of hardship. Furthermore, by following our permaculture principles we only use local breeds that are reared free range in a sustainable manner.
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