How Kisoboka Africa is Breaking the Chains of Poverty in Rural Lwengo with Chickens
Imagine living in a rural community where you have limited access to education, health care, and financial services. Imagine struggling to feed your family and pay for basic needs. Imagine feeling hopeless and powerless to change your situation.
This is the reality for many marginalized women and youth in Uganda, who face multiple barriers to economic empowerment and social inclusion. But what if there was a way to transform their lives with a simple yet effective solution?
That’s exactly what Kisoboka Africa is doing with its innovative Chicken Revolving Model. This model is designed to provide income generation opportunities, foster self-reliance, leadership development, community engagement, and instil long-term saving culture for the most vulnerable groups in rural areas.
How does it work?
The Chicken Revolving Model is based on a simple principle: give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
The model starts with the formation of Self-Controlled and Owned 96 School community banks (SCOBAs), which are groups of women and youth who save, borrow, and invest in small and medium enterprises. These SCOBAs are established and supported by Kisoboka Africa until they become independent and self-sustaining.
From each SCOBAs, selected marginalized households receive thorough training, 25 layer birds, all farm inputs, and technical support to establish and run a poultry business. The poultry business provides them with a steady source of income from selling eggs and chicken meat, as well as nutritious food for their families.
After 12 months, the participants reach the harvest stage, where they have achieved self-sustainability and profitability. At this point, they pass on the knowledge, resources, and benefits to the next cohort of households from their SCOBAs, creating a ripple effect of empowerment using the same resources.
What are the impacts?
The Chicken Revolving Model has proven to be a game-changer for the participants and their communities. By addressing the specific needs and challenges faced by marginalized groups, Kisoboka Africa has empowered at least 48 households in its first year to create sustainable livelihoods. Some of the impacts include:
- Increased household incomes and savings: The participants have reported an average increase of 300% in their monthly incomes and savings from their poultry businesses. This has enabled them to pay for school fees, health care, and other basic needs.
- Improved food security and nutrition: The participants have improved their food security and nutrition by consuming eggs and chicken meat from their poultry businesses. This has reduced malnutrition and hunger among their families.
- Enhanced self-confidence and leadership skills: The participants have gained self-confidence and leadership skills by managing their poultry businesses and participating in their SCOBAs. They have also become role models and mentors for other women and youth in their communities.
- Strengthened social cohesion and solidarity: The participants have strengthened their social cohesion and solidarity by working together in their SCOBAs and supporting each other in their poultry businesses. They have also developed trust and mutual respect among themselves and with other stakeholders.
What are the future plans?
Kisoboka Africa aims to scale up its Chicken Revolving Model to reach more marginalized women and youth in rural communities. Without barriers like limited funds, we target to scale out to up 1080 households and 36 SCOBAs by the end of the year 2024.
We believe that with our innovative model, we can break the chains of poverty and create a sustainable livelihoods for all. We invite you to join us in this journey of transformation by supporting our cause or spreading the word about our work.
Together, we can make it possible!