A sustainable economic uplift programme in Uganda funded by Meeting Needs is proving successful for women in the village of Rwentojo, in the South-West of the country.

Working through UK registered charity called Let Them Help Themselves, Meeting Needs provided a grant of £3900 last year to help 15 widows achieve a sustainable poultry business.

The grant has been used to fund two programme managers for a period of six months and their role was to train the women in poultry care – providing materials for the construction of chicken coops and feed during the first three months before the chicks start laying. They also provided vaccines as well as equipment such as feeders, drinkers and laying trays.

The programme kicked off in October with training on chicken coop construction, feeding and care of chicks and the women took delivery of the chicks in November. Each woman was given 15 two-month-old chicks and they should start laying at the end of February. The women will also receive training on how to market the eggs.

The woman pictured is Sylvia Nahurira. She is 39 years old and has 7 dependents.  Her monthly income is currently £6 and it is hoped that that will increase to £17-21 a month once her chicks start laying. Meeting Needs chair Jennifer Jenkins said: “This is a great project and exactly the kind of sustainable activity that we love to support. Having such a profound impact on 15 families is a wonderful use of our funds.”