Maranatha's Chicken Project
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Fred and eggs at Maranatha.	Fred, feeding the 1400 chickens inside the chicken coop.

Maranatha’s chicken project began in 2007 out of the desire to generate income to make the Maranatha’s schools more self-sustaining, to also increase the nutritional value of meals served to Maranatha students, and to provide training to vocational students in the area of agricultural/livestock rearing skills besides the piggery. Many of the students have AIDS and are supposed to be eating a more healthy diet as part of their overall treatment regimen. Before the chicken project, meals consisted mostly of just porridge and beans. Now, students receive at least one egg and maybe two per week as part of their daily two meals.

The first batch of 1500 chickens arrived in March 2008. Some of the chickens did not survive the initial transport from Ugachick. Currently there are about 1200 full grown chickens from this initial batch. Patrick hopes that additional funding can be obtained so that additional chicken coop structures can be built and more chickens can be purchased. He believes that his initial concept has been proven with the first batch of chickens, and that the staff has now acquired the skills necessary to further expand operations. The foundations for additional chicken coops were laid when the first coop was built. But money is needed for bricks, labor, and roofing materials to construct more coops and eventually to build a second floor to all the chicken coops once the first level is built. 

Side view of the newly constructed chicken coop completed in early 2008.	"I'd lay an extra egg a week if I had more food."