Hens Hatching Hope: Un Huevo Cada Dia

Dear Friends:

In the photo above, you will see a very happy business woman.  Vicenta raises chickens and sells the eggs to Shoulder to Shoulder (StS).  StS then provides the eggs to mothers who have children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years.  Vicente is happy because the project allows her to bring in much needed income for her family.  

We are in the 4th month of our project, and are thrilled with our progress so far!  Celebrate our successes with us:

•  25 women are raising hens.
•  Provided micro-loans to 15 of the women, to help with start-up costs (total of $3200)
•  Twice per month, 15 eggs are given out to 285 children (total of 8,550 eggs per month)
•  At the end of each month, StS reimburses the women who are raising the hens (total of $1100)
•  We are working with a professor at the University of Indiana, who is studying the effects of eating an egg per day.  We have enrolled 285 children in this study.  In addition, we have enrolled 200 children into a control group.  The study will continue until January 2022.

This project is a WIN-WIN-WIN:

The CHILDREN eat healthy eggs.

The WOMEN receive income from their hens.

The COMMUNITY benefits from the infusion of money StS pays the women.

THANK YOU to all of our supporters.  This project would not exist if not for your belief in it and your support.

Laura

In early December, I traveled to Honduras, to visit our project.  Mostly, I wanted to get to know some of the women who are raising the hens -- to lay the eggs -- to provide to the children in our project.

Our project covers 20 communities, and Gisela and Sandra found one woman, in each community, who had the desire to raise  hens.  However, in about half of the cases, the women needed some funds to help get the project started.  We offered no-interest loans, of up to $250 per woman. The women will pay back the loans over the course of six months, through a reduction of the amount we pay them for the eggs we purchase for the children.

The loans allowed the women to puchase wire and wood (needed to build fenced cages for the hens); to purchase laying hens; and to purchase the feed for the hens.  With these funds, the women were ready to start the project!

It was such a pleasure to see the joy on the women's faces.  They are so excited about becoming "Business Women." Some of the women have experience raising hens and eggs; others are brand new at it.  But, they are all excited...and all are including their daughters in the project.

In the photo above, our team is visiting Alba, and her new hen project (Alba is new to raising hens).  In the photo below, you see the smiling faces of Carmen and her daughter (Carmen is more experienced with hens and eggs).