Background Information
St. Camillus Dala Kiye, in collaboration with several organizations and local government, works with community members who live below poverty levels and who in one way or another have been affected by HIV/AIDS. The overall objective of the project is to build sustainable livelihoods for poor and vulnerable communities affected by HIV and AIDS, specifically improving their socio-economic status.
The Organization provides assistance and support to vulnerable orphaned children – hereinafter referred to as OVC – , with regard to food and nutrition, health, education, care and protection, psychosocial support and the development of life skills.
To help promote sustainability, the project also launches an economic empowerment program for OVCs and their caregivers, offering the development of operational and entrepreneurial skills in agriculture, with the aim of fostering the development of activities capable of producing income.
The program is implementing several OVC support projects:
- School Assistance
- Foster Care
- Protection for children with special needs.
In accordance with the goals outlined, Dala Kiye designs, models and implements projects that are child-friendly and community-focused, engaging and sustainable. All activities are focused on safeguarding the rights and improving the well-being of children and their community. The projects are fully formulated with a commitment to implement national laws, policies and action plans for the protection of children’s rights in Kenya. The programme is based on a broad consultative framework involving all stakeholders and partners.
One of the main areas of intervention of the project is the nutritional support to children. Nutrition is a pillar of human well-being: a healthy diet is important in the overall growth of a child.
In this regard, the project runs a school feeding program and a nutritional program aimed at 60 children living with HIV and AIDS.
The 60 children whose immune system is already compromised live in the center (Dala Kiye) and also rely on a balanced diet to improve their immune response.
To broaden the scope of this intervention, the program intends to build a farm dedicated to the breeding of ducks, chickens and rabbits, which will be used as a learning center where children and the community will be able to learn through the demonstration.
Allevamento di galline ovaiole
A good rearing of laying hens guarantees an optimal production of eggs which are a good source of cheap and high quality protein . More than half of egg protein is found in egg white, which also includes vitamin B2 and lower fat amounts than egg yolk. In addition, eggs are rich in selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12 and minerals such as zinc, iron and copper.
In support of this project we intend to equip the breeding of cages for battery farming with deep litter system that offer several advantages:
- Improved hygiene resulting in lower incidence of diseases in which the infectious agent spreads through excrement. In addition, due to the relatively fixed position of the animals, any infected subjects are easily detected through faeces and changes in feed intake, so as to promptly take the necessary health measures
- Animals kept in small groups show a low incidence of social friction, to the benefit of the health of the farm
- Ease of management: the rearing of laying hens is an activity that can also be carried out by low-skilled personnel who can in short develop skills related to the management of food, observation of animals, the maintenance of production records and the collection of eggs.
- High yield of feed used. Chickens reared in cages have a reduced possibility of action, consume less energy and consequently have less need to eat, ensuring high production yields. At the same time, since the trough is located outside the cage, the feed is not shipped.
After evaluating the advantages exposed so far and the space available within its structure, il St. Camillus Dala Kiye intends to buy two thousand laying hens that will be raised in seventeen cages.
Duck Farm
Eggs and duck meat are a food of great nutritional value. Eggs in particular provide high quality protein, also contain 11 vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. They can therefore make a valuable contribution to the daily nutritional needs of the Dala Kiye community.
Ducks, moreover, are animals that rarely get sick and therefore, if an optimal cleaning of the farm is guaranteed together with a proper feeding and irrigation, they will be able to mature at a higher rate, ensuring a good production.
Rabbit Farm
Rabbit farming is a valuable source of nutrition for humans thanks to their tasty and nutritious meat and the characteristic of reaching maturity for slaughter in just four months.
The activity is also very suitable for children who, as they grow up, are able to apply the knowledge acquired at school on the breeding of rabbits, dealing mainly with their nutrition.
The most suitable rabbit species for breeding are: California White, Flemish Giant and New Zealand White
Dairy Cow Farm
Another activity that the Dala Kiye intends to develop is the construction of a stable for the breeding of dairy cows.
Cows, if well cared for, will meet the milk needs of sick children: cow’s milk is in fact a valuable food that contains a wide range of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, proteins, healthy fats and antioxidants. It is also a rich source of protein: with just one cup children can take 8 grams of protein needed for many vital functions of our body, including growth and development, cell repair and immune system regulation.
The planned project will therefore adequately address the nutritional needs of 60 children, 58 deaf children and the surrounding community.
The animals will also make a further contribution to the development of children’s skills in animal husbandry techniques.
In conclusion, chicken, rabbit, duck and cow farms will also provide a fertiliser useful for both gardens and growing vegetables such as spinach, Sukuma Wiki, carrots, cabbage and many other local vegetables useful to support children’s nutritional programs.
