By Austin Bowden-Kerby | Project Leader
In late August I was able to travel to Tanna and Efate Islands, badly cyclone impacted areas of Vanuatu, with travel funded by another NGO. While there I was able to folow up with both of the livelihoods trainees, Iopil and Joel, which had been trained last year in Fiji.
I also carried with me two small incubators, and conducted small workshops in their use. Life in the cyclone impacted areas is for the most part back to normal, with crops coming in, homes repaired or rebuilt, and many trees bearing fruit again, however coconuts are still scarce, and there is a need for replanting for long-term prosperity. So much energy and so many resources have been used to rebuild the communities, and so much was lost, so that widespread poverty prevails, however a sense of relief has come over the island in comparison to last year. Whie locally grown food is available, protein is particularly hard to come by.
As we still had not been able to get permission from Vanuatu Biosecurity to import the tropical-adapted, and highly productive ''happy chickens'' which we have established through selective breeding in Fiji, we arranged to meet with the Director of Biosecurity in Port Vila, the capital. The outcome of this meeting is that we can now proceed to apply for the required import and export permits. Fiji Biosecurity has since visited our Fiji farm and hatchery and has tested the chickens for disease, and have declared the flock disease free. We are now planning for a January export of both day-old chicks and fertile eggs to Vanuatu.
News from the Fiji Cyclone Winston affected areas- in September we conducted a workshop for nine women from Naviti Island in the Yasawas, and we sent back with them fifteen dozen chicks, feed for a month, and the materials to build a large hen house and chicken yard. Our community officer Simi Koto has since vsited them for follow up and encouragement. Moringa leaves are stressed as a high protein human and animal feed, and many cuttings have been distributed in both Fiji and Vanuatu by the project.
Another group of women from the badly impacted Bua province on Vanua Levu Island, stayed at the farm fro four days just last week to learn poultry farming- and they too have now begun rearing chicks. They brought back to their community one of our small incubators and 90 fertile eggs, as solar pwer is available in their community, in addition to ten dozen chicks. They called just today to let us know their progress, and that all the chicks survived the long boat ride back and are growing well.
We plan to continue with this poverty alleviation strategy through livelihoods training, as the best way to offer relief to a wider group of people in the affected areas, and to build food security and community resilience- including getting the chickens out of the trees and into safe hen houses where they will not be blown away or killed by exposure in future storms, with the chickens properly trained to return to the security of their house for laying and for sleeping.
Thanks again for your support in helping with this imporant work in helping communities get back on their feet.
Blessings in all that you do for the betterment of the planet.
Austin
By Austin Bowden-Kerby | Project Facilitator
By Austin Bowden | Project Leader
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