After a request from the Gishwati community committee to Children in the Wilderness and Wilderness Safaris Rwanda, and thanks to generous donations from Wilderness Safaris’ guests, we were able to assist Gisunzu Primary School and the surrounding community with a special chicken egg-farming project at the start of this year.
In the villages close to Gishwati Forest live many marginalised families who struggle to provide for their daily needs. The community committee strives to support the poverty-stricken families affected by COVID-19, to fight against malnutrition and to educate the children on the importance of taking care of animals, and the benefits of doing so.
The primary school teachers had an idea to educate their pupils on how to take care of chickens in the correct way. The children received training on what chickens eat, what kind of medication they might need, and how to take care of them on a day-to-day basis.
All the families were previously consulted, and agreed to give the chickens a place in their households, and after completing their training and education, we organised for all of the 216 school students to receive two chickens each to take home.
The eggs that the chickens will produce will be used for the families’ daily meals. Together with the 432 chickens, we also donated medication and food for the chickens to all the families.
What a great start to the year for the children and their families in the Gishwati community!
By Ingrid Baas, Wilderness Safaris Rwanda Operations Manager and CITW Rwanda Programme Co-ordinator
