Poultry Project

At its core, this project developed in partnership with The Guardian Project, has one clear objective: to improve household income, strengthen nutrition and build women's economic empowerment through poultry production.

Through the Mugie Biashara Grant and the Guardian Project, seed funding has gone toward helping local families set up their own poultry farms. A small investment with an outsized return. Eggs and meat put nutritious food on the table. Surplus can be sold, turning a backyard flock into a steady, reliable income. And with a new source of food and earnings closer to home, families feel less pressure to fall back on practices like overgrazing that put strain on the land.

At the heart of the programme is a pay it forward model. Rather than a one time handout, beneficiaries are expected to pass on chicks or offspring to other members of their community once their own flock is established, so the benefit doesn't stop with the first family it reaches. It keeps moving, group to group, the same way the Kitchen Garden project's first beneficiaries became trainers for the next. Support doesn't end at delivery, either: group leadership handles day-to-day coordination and monitoring, while Mugie staff provide regular follow-up visits, refresher training and technical support to keep flocks healthy and productive.

What began with 50 birds is designed to be just the start. A foundation strong enough to scale, expanding its reach further into the community as each group of beneficiaries pays it forward to the next.

It's a simple idea, really, that economic independence and conservation don't pull in different directions. Sometimes they hatch from the very same flock.

The statistics:

As of July 2026 there are a total of 396 birds which are currently managed by 11 groups.

A total of 1,836 eggs were collected for the month of July this year.

FAQs

Q: Is it only for women?

A: No, originally the project began by focusing on women’s groups but now it has expanded to include any self-help groups within Mugie’s community zones.

Q: Can I contact Mugie to ask for advice about looking after poultry?

A: Yes, definitely our community office is always happy to give advice.

To find out more about the Poultry Project please contact the Mugie Community Office.