This year, five of our partner communities achieved a huge milestone in their self-development programs when they started poultry raising projects. CREATE!’s community development programs focus on improving access to water, increasing food security, and creating more income generational opportunities. Raising poultry is one of the last projects, which means these communities are well on their way to become self-sustainable!
Birame’s Story
One of the five communities that started poultry raising is Wereyane. Ndeye Birame Signane is a young woman who grew up in this village. She is aware of the challenges her village faced over the years and is adamant about strengthening the community. “I am pleased to work with CREATE! because now I have the opportunity to stay in my village and work,” Birame tells us.
Every day, Birame feeds and cares for the chicks in Wereyane’s newly built poultry shed. “It is the first time I raise chickens in the village,” she explains. “We are learning many techniques from CREATE!’s technicians!” Community members train with CREATE!’s technicians so that they can take charge of the health and well-being of the poultry.
Increasing Food Security in Her Community
Before Wereyane built a poultry shed, Birame says she bought chicken from the weekly Dahra market. “I used to eat chicken very rarely because it was expensive, and the market is far from the village,” she describes. Unfortunately, the cost in both time and money deterred many families from purchasing chicken. The inaccessibility of poultry tended to hurt people’s diets as chicken is a vital source of protein.
However, today Birame and many other women can supplement the diet of their family with the poultry from the community. “Now chicken is cheaper in the village than in the market since we have our own poultry shed,” Birame says.
Birame checks on the chicks every day to make sure that they have plenty of water and food.
A New Opportunity to Generate Income
In rural Senegal, agriculture is the standard way to make a living. Unfortunately, farmers face an extended dry season as well as desertification and unpredictable rainfall. This forces many young men and women to look for jobs in the capital or abroad. However, most would rather stay closer to their family. “Before CREATE!, I didn’t have an occupation during the dry season. I was only working three months out of the year in the rainy season,” Birame tells us.
Using CREATE!’s programs as a foundation, Birame and her community can build self-sufficiency once again. Poultry raising has become a critical project in generating income. “We are developing our village. We have new activities, and women no longer need to leave their family,” Birame says proudly.