Recently, five of our partners communities started building their poultry sheds in the first quarter of 2019. In our 5-year development model, poultry raising is one of the later projects. This is a big milestone for the communities of Wereyane, Santhie, Mboss, Back Samba Dior, and Keur Daouda because this project will help take them even further along the path of income generation and overall self-sufficiency!
Entering A New Phase of Development
Learning to raise poultry means that women are not only able to bring an important source of protein into their family’s diets but now they also have an additional source of income from the chickens they sell in the local markets! Women are already generating income from the vegetables they sell from their community gardens. However, chicken is known to be an even more profitable product in rural Senegal. Women can sell chicken both within the community or to neighboring villages as well as the weekly market.
Poultry is an excellent and popular source of protein and is often purchased and eaten for holidays. But with the availability right in the community, chicken can be purchased and eaten more often. Having a regular source of protein in family’s diets increases overall health. This is especially important for growing children who benefit from a diverse diet!
Generating Income Through Poultry Raising
Meet Bintou Kane, a mother of four living in the rural village of Fass Kane. Bintou’s community has already been through the poultry raising training with CREATE!’s technicians and are now running poultry sheds on their own. “There are many poultry sheds in Fass Kane now,” Bintou describes. “We received training from CREATE!’s technicians and now we are able to raise chicken in our houses.”
Before, Bintou and her family rarely ate poultry because it was expensive and wasn’t available in the community. For holidays and special occasions, Bintou would purchase chicken at the Kaolack Market. The trip to the market, whether on the back of a motorcycle or by donkey-cart, ended up being a full day’s trip there and back. This is another obstacle that often deters families from buying the meat.
Today, Bintou not only raises her own chickens for feeding her family but also sells them to neighboring villages as well as the larger markets outside of the community. “Chicken production is very profitable, and we gain a lot of money,” she tells us. With more income often comes more security and opportunities. “Our life conditions have improved because now we have the possibility to work to support our family,” Bintou says. This is the type of success that Wereyane, Santhie, Mboss, Back Samba Dior, and Keur Daouda are currently working towards.
A Bright Future Ahead for Our Communities
To this date, thousands of chickens have been sold from our partner communities, 90% of which were sold between neighboring villages. It’s important for communities to support one another in an effort to increase food security and eliminate poverty in rural Senegal.
We’re so excited to see how these five communities will develop with even more income-generating activities and opportunities to create village self-sufficiency. Wereyane, Santhie, Mboss, Back Samba Dior, and Keur Daouda have worked hard to get to where they are, and they have an even brighter future ahead!