STUDENTS: MONICA KOVACS & ADAM LITTLE
Life in Tanzania can be filled with staggering hardship. Tanzania is one of the world’s poorest countries and it has been devastated by HIV and AIDS. And although many families rely on subsistence farming, the soil is poor and few families can afford cattle or goats.
VWB/VSF has been working with Tanzanian communities since 2006, when VWB/VSF member Dr. Roger Thomson initiated a poultry project to support local subsistence farmers in Rungwe, a district of south western Tanzania. Through this program, local chickens are cross-bred with Rhode Island Red cocks to create larger, healthier and more productive chickens. With help from local partners, Dr. Thomson has also initiated a farmer education and support program.
Recently, the project has taken an exciting twist as VWB/VSF sets its sights on supporting Rungwe’s student population. In Ilima and Lubanda, communities in Rungwe, approximately 35% of high school students have been orphaned by HIV and AIDS. For these students, access to food and money is scarce, and prospects for the future are limited. In response to these challenges, VWB/VSF is working with the students to expand the poultry program to their high school.
In collaboration with local partners, VWB/VSF is building a multi-purpose facility where a few students will live and manage a coop of donated chickens with ongoing support and training from local livestock officers and VWB/VSF. Egg sales will subsidize their school and living expenses while the experience will help them develop skills to improve their livelihoods. This poultry program will also serve as a “model farm” in the community where local farmers can meet, discuss, and learn about successful poultry production.
The summer two veterinary students, Monica Kovacs and Adam Little, will travel to the region to help train farmers and students on poultry husbandry and health. They will also train two village community animal extension workers on how to administer vaccines and promote disease control. Part of their time will be spent helping to build the poultry house at Ilima Secondary School as well.
