Build a Chicken-Coop to Help Support a Community in Uganda

Funds to build a sturdy chicken-coop will help my friend, George, a hardworking and entrepreneurial dad, provide for his family and empower his community in Uganda. We need your help because without these funds, George's chickens will continue to get taken by predators at night. George is depending on the revenue stream from his poultry farm to support his family, and with your help, we can protect his livelihood for years to come.

About My Friendship with George

George, an ambitious young man from the Bududa district in rural Uganda, has been a close friend of mine for over a decade. When I traveled to Uganda in 2014 on a volunteer trip, I was met with a warm welcome and, surprising to me at the time, true friendship. George was one of the people I connected with the most in Uganda, and we've kept in touch to this day. When we met years ago, he lived in a small house made mostly of mud, thatch, and sheet metal. Since then, he’s turned enormous challenges into opportunities: He’s helped fund his own college education through a beekeeping project and, more recently, built a studio where he hosts a radio show on health, entrepreneurship, faith, and community development. After graduating, he also returned to his home village and started a family (he lives with his wife Rachel and their six-month-old son McClay).

Why We Need Your Help

George’s latest project, a small poultry farm, continues his commitment to the people in his village. George has dozens of chickens and has already begun selling eggs, which are considered a scarce luxury in rural Uganda, to support his family. His goal is to eventually have at least 100 chickens and—most importantly—to eventually start hatching chicks to donate to other families in the district and teach them how to start small sustainable farms of their own. This will provide extra income for neighboring families, boosting their stability as well. Also, the people who buy and eat the eggs would have a complete protein in their diet, which helps avoid malnutrition and its dangerous long-term effects.

Unfortunately, there’s one problem. There are stray cats and other predators that prowl at night and take his vulnerable chickens that are currently roaming free on his open property. George urgently needs housing to protect his birds and his livelihood. The construction site is already available and he’s ready to move forward with his team.

By helping George build this chicken-coop, we’re protecting his birds and his livelihood. We’re also empowering an entire community to create a more sustainable future. This project needs to be fully funded in 7 days (by February 28), because every night George’s chickens go unhoused is another bird—or even two or three—that he could lose to predators or the elements. A dollar goes a long way in Uganda, so please consider donating $10 today. If you’re not in a place to give financially, please share it with a friend and tell them why you think they should donate.

George and I want to send a huge thank you to our first donors. We are excited watching this start to materialize and we look forward to posting updates as the project moves along.

-River

Project Needs

George has carefully planned the construction of this small building, and has written up a breakdown of the cost to ensure the project is as efficient and effective as possible. With $1921, we can help George build a stable and sturdy chicken-coop that will protect his birds and could sustain his farm for decades.

Materials (Total: 5,970,000 UGX / $1,624.40 USD):

* Bricks (5000 pcs): 1,000,000 UGX

* Sand (5 trucks): 700,000 UGX

* Cement (50 bags): 1,500,000 UGX

* Hardcore Stones (1 truck): 120,000 UGX

* Gravel Stones (1 truck): 180,000 UGX

* PRC (1 roll): 100,000 UGX

* Rebar (10 pcs): 300,000 UGX

* Rings (15 pcs): 135,000 UGX

* Binding: 50,000 UGX

* Iron sheets (16): 480,000 UGX

* Nails (6 kg): 30,000 UGX

* Umbrella nails (5 kg): 35,000 UGX

* Rubber washers (7 packets): 35,000 UGX

* Hoop irons (3 rolls): 105,000 UGX

* Doors (1 pc): 400,000 UGX

* Wire mesh (1 roll): 300,000 UGX

* Windows (2 pcs): 500,000 UGX

Labor (944,000 UGX / $256.86 USD):

* Masons (3 for 7 days): 420,000 UGX

* Poters (4 for 7 days): 224,000 UGX

* Misc: 300,000 UGX

GRAND TOTAL: $1921 USD