In 2006, Kelly Flamos and Julian Harris, fellows at The AIDS Support Organization (TASO), started the Poultry Project to address the persistent poverty and malnutrition plaguing HIV/AIDS-affected children {DOWNLOAD Original Program Proposal}. Poultry farming is a simple solution, as it provides nutrition, income and acts as a renewable resource for participating families. The Poultry Project works with TASO — the largest indigenous HIV/AIDS support organization in Africa — to provide HIV/AIDS-affected children with chickens and support to develop sustainable, small-scale poultry holdings. Each family receives chickens, a bicycle, training and ongoing support. Participants care for the hens, which ideally produce eggs and offspring, which are then eaten and/or sold, providing additional food and/or income for the household. Participants keep 100% of their profits.
The Poultry Project has established and currently oversees the small businesses of over 50 participating families living in Mbale, Soroti and Tororo (Uganda). The Poultry Project is one of TASO’s sustainable livelihoods programs (SLP). TASO identifies families (comprised of AIDS orphans: children that have lost one or both parents to AIDS-related illness) that would benefit from this program and provides logistical assistance on the ground. TASO staff members, under the supervision of the TASO Project Officer, provide ongoing support to participants. Each year, at least two training workshops are conducted at TASO Mbale for participants.
We have been successful in increasing and contributing to participants’ livelihoods. Participants have not only used their initial grant to meet their immediate needs for nutrition and income, but they have been able to use it to accumulate more resources. A full 73% of participating families have increased their animal holdings as part of the program and nearly a third of participating families have used income from their poultry holdings to invest in education of their children.
The Poultry Project team based in the U.S. includes the founder, board members and interns/volunteers (the Project team operates on a voluntary basis without compensation). The Uganda-based team includes the Poultry Project Manager, who is the TASO Mbale Project Officer, and other TASO staff. The Project team communicates with the TASO Mbale Project Officer/Poultry Project Manager weekly via email. The Project contributes funds to TASO to procure the needed supplies (chickens, bicycles, training). We raise these funds through grassroots fundraising efforts in the U.S. TASO and the Project work together on monitoring, evaluation, and strategic planning.
The founders would like to continue The Poultry Project’s original mission by initiating collaboration with other development organizations operating in Uganda, and affiliating with U.S. college and university study abroad/service-learning departments. The Poultry Project incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2009 and received its 501c3 tax-exempt status in the fall of 2010.
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