Foundation empowers women and youth through Massive Poultry farming in Homa Bay
April 9, 2024
Foundation empowers women and youth through Massive Poultry farming in Homa Bay
DEEP inside Kakdhimu area of West Karachuonyo within Homa Bay County lies a serious poultry rearing farm being managed by a Gospel artist who is very passionate in the business and it is the talk of the village.
For Everlyn Kephas who is a Gospel Artist known as Jalimbe, Poultry rearing is a business whose time has come at the right time and it is here where all her energies are directed with a focus of empowering widows and orphans within the area once the business picks up.
Everlyn says she mooted the idea to her husband who was at first hesitant to support the initiative at the initial stage until he witnessed a massive poultry farming project from a friend in Kisumu.
Everlyn says once she began putting up the structure to take care of the chickens she wanted to start rearing in large scale, some members from the village told her to instead turn the building into a church for worshiping since she is a Gospel Singer and will not manage a project of that magnitude.
She adds that other people even discouraged her that she wont make it since others before her had ventured into such businesses but flopped even without benefiting from such.
She says after consulting and visiting various farms where poultry are reared, she fully embarked on the project without looking back.
“Being determined and having set my eyes on this project, I ignored any kind of negative pieces of advice and went ahead to put up the Big premise to house the chicks I wanted to raise for laying eggs,” she says.
The Gospel artist says after finishing the construction of the poultry house, the other task was to stock it with 2,010 chicks that are meant to be layers.
She says now in the next few days from the day the media visited her farm early this month, the poultry will begin laying eggs, adding that she used about sh 2.5Million to put up the building and all other things needed for the project.
“With only a week then these hens start laying eggs, we are headed to the right direction of beginning to distribute eggs to those who are in need of them,” Everlyn says.
She projects that the facility will give her about 60 crates of eggs in a day once laying begins, adding she has already identified a widow who will be doing the sales in a kiosk within her farm, adding that some of the orphans her family has been taking care of in terms of paying school fees will also be one of great beneficiaries of the project.
She says she intends to provide some of the widows with 100 eggs{Three crates of eggs} in a day to help them to earn a means of livelihood, adding that one of the widows she has identified to do sales will be one of the beneficiaries of this project.
Everlyn says for the next 18 months, there will be production of eggs from her layers, adding that her other batch of 1,500 chicks which are now three weeks old will also be ready in due course for laying eggs.
She says her target is to have 10,000 layers at her farm with an aim of increasing eggs production by next year.
“This venture is not easy to start but the returns are encouraging. In business, one must be ready to take risk in order to succeed in doing such ventures,” she further says.
She says one of the major challenges of the project is the issue of feeding the chickens from a day old till the day they start laying eggs between five and six months, adding that this is why most people fail to go up to the end of the business since feeds are very expensive.
She urges those who want to undertake the project to be ready to take great risks and ensure that success on their way without listening to those who might be out to discourage them about such a project.
Bernard Orina who is the care taker of the project says the poultry must be handled with a lot of care right from the day they are brought until the day they will begin production of eggs.
Orina, a former Employee of Kenchic says there are three stages in the development of poultry namely Brooding stage,Growth and production stage.
He says the brooding stage is the determinant of the outcome of the project in the final end and should be handled with a lot of care.
Orina says the poultry must be fed using the right feed at different stages, adding that proper feeding is also the corner stone for the project.
He adds that there must also be proper ventilation within the premises where the poultry is being reared, adding that this ensures enough circulation of air within.
Orina says during the brooding stage, once must ensure that there is favorable temperature within the room where the poultry is, adding that for their case, they have been using charcoal Jikos to provide heat for the chickens.
He says during the production stage, the birds begin laying eggs differently, adding that production is a process where the birds lay eggs at intervals that include in the morning, Midday and evening.
“Chickens don’t lay eggs at one but do so at intervals and they also don’t lay two or three eggs in a day but lay only an egg in a day,” Orina says.
Orina says it is important to go for the quality chicks which have been vaccinated at the time they are dispatched to the farm for rearing.
He says during the laying period, the birds are provided with some vitamins supplement that boosts eggs production and this is very important indeed.
He says there are also various challenges like the power outages, adding that one should have a back up system for this that include a generator to help in power provision.
Orina adds that diseases is also one of the challenges, adding that it is important to control diseases so as not to affect the production.
Orina says the other challenge is labour, adding that those employed should be fully dedicated in their work.
Orina says feeding is also a challenge and this should be looked into, adding that without proper feeding, this might affect the production.
He urges those working in such places to have a very cordial relationship with the owner of the farms.
Orina adds that the project is a good one and people should try their hands in it without fearing the challenges that comes with it.
“Never lose hope if you want to succeed in such like a project because with perseverance and determination, you can succeed,” Orina concludes.
The Lerne Adams Foundation was established in the small village of West Karachuonyo with a mission to empower the local community through education and sustainable practices.
One of the primary initiatives of the foundation was the establishment of a poultry farm with 3500 layers, which not only provided a source of income but also served as a valuable tool for training the youth and women in the village.
The foundation recognized the importance of educating the community on issues such as improving livelihoods, addressing climate change, and promoting empowerment through job creation.
They set out to achieve this goal by offering training programs on poultry farming and management, as well as marketing and financial literacy.
After completing the training program, each household was given 100 layers to start their own small poultry farm.
The foundation's staff made regular visits to monitor the progress of the participants and provide additional support and guidance as needed.
The impact of this initiative was profound, as the participants were able to generate a steady source of income through the sale of eggs and poultry products.
The foundation also worked with the community to implement sustainable practices on the farm, such as composting and water conservation.
These efforts not only benefitted the environment but also helped to ensure the long-term success of the poultry farms.
As the participants began to see the positive impact of their efforts, they became more motivated to expand their farms and explore other income-generating opportunities.
The foundation continued to support and encourage them every step of the way, providing additional training and resources to help them succeed.
Through the hard work and dedication of the participants, the Lerne Adams Foundation was able to make a lasting impact on the community of West Karachuonyo.
By empowering them with the tools and knowledge to improve their livelihoods, address climate change, and create jobs, the foundation helped to create a brighter and more prosperous future for all.
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