The covid pandemic in India has added to the already harsh reality of living in the rural villages. The people have not been able to travel to work and have therefore been unable to earn any money. No money in these areas means no way to buy food and many people have died through starvation rather than covid. In order to try and relieve this hardship and help to provide food for families and also give them an opportunity to earn some money, a new project has been initiated… Chicken rearing!

The idea is to provide a family with 20 baby chicks, and food to feed them. The family will look after the chickens and grow them to sell in the markets or locally where they live. The two other benefits are eggs and more baby chicks. Some eggs can be sold, some eaten, and others hatched to provide a continuing supply for selling.

As this project relies on certain conditions in which to rear baby chicks, we have taken six months to develop a sustainable venture for those involved. It was successful and all the above ideas were realised; chickens have been reared and sold, others kept for eggs and hatching baby chicks. The final part of making a profit also worked and each person was able to have three months income, the time needed to rear for selling, and enough money to but a new batch of chicks and feed for them.

This project is open to both Christian and Hindus in the hope of relieving starvation and poverty and is also a way of showing the love of Jesus to those in great need and hardship. Families who have seen this project are now asking if they too can have some chickens to rear.

So, after successfully trialling this project in different rural villages we are now in a position, with your support, to begin growing this project to many more families.