Breaking it down - Tumaini Tuesday

Tumaini Volunteers is continuing with plans to return to Kenya next spring. Hopefully this week, we will have the dates pinned down and get plane reservations for our four team members.

Two weeks ago I shared what these volunteers will be doing, along with projected costs. If you have been considering making a donation and want to specify what it will be used for, here is a breakdown of the needs:

   

$10 will buy 100 fertilized eggs. Once these eggs are hatched and those chickens able to lay eggs of their own, the school at the SIDP camp can sell those eggs at ten cents a piece. Granted, some of those chickens hatched are going to end up being roosters and not every hen will lay an egg every day. In the long run, though, on average, your original investment of $10 can be making between $150 and $200 per month for the school.

$20 will feed these chickens for one month. Once these chicks are fully grown and laying eggs, the cost for their feed will come out of the profits of sale of the eggs, making this project self-sustainable.

$50 will train staff in how to properly raise these chicks. The healthier and happier these chickens are, the more eggs they will lay, so it is important to get them off to the right start. One woman at the school is caring for the chickens they already have, but she is willing to learn more to make this project a success. She also needs a second person to help her out and keep things running in the event she is not available.

$100 will purchase some of the building materials to expand the chicken coop and shed already in place at the school. Our volunteers and other volunteers from the SIDP camp will supply the labor.

$100 will purchase part of the incubator. Or you can so kindly donate the entire $1000 to get this out to the school right away.

$200 will purchase part of the generator. Or a single donation of $2000 will buy it. At one of the chicken projects we visited in October, the power had been out for a few days so all of the eggs in their incubator were no longer viable. Also, the weather had been warm that week so that the younger chicks survived without a heating lamp, but the weather cannot be counted on, no matter where anyone lives.

Send your donation in any of these areas to Tumaini Volunteers, PO Box 726, Wausau, WI  54402 and specify where you want your donation to be used. Also any donations of $20 or more mailed out before the end of the year will get you a print of one of the beautiful cats we saw on safari. Click on this link for more details about that. You can also click here to learn more about Southern Cross Academy and the chickens they already have.