One Day’s Wages is thrilled to present our 6th grant to United African Orphans and Widows Foundation (UAOWF), a non-profit organization based in Iganga, Uganda. UAOWF spurs encouragement and action against poverty, disease and injustices against women and orphans.
UAOWF is directing the $5,100 USD grant – made possible through generous contributions to ODW – to providing women with baby chicks to stimulate nutritional and economic growth. 400 chicks will be given to 40 women whose families have been affected by HIV/AIDS.
Who is UAOWF?
UAOWF is a non-profit voluntary organization operating in Eastern Uganda. In 2004, concerned health professionals, community and education leaders established an organization that would offer holistic support to HIV/AIDS orphans in widows around Eastern Uganda.
UAOWF, in addition to bettering the welfare of orphans, widows, vulnerable children and people living with HIV/AIDS, also promotes stronger communities of people to fight against HIV/AIDS. Income generating projects, such as the Poultry Project for HIV/AIDS Widows, supports women finding financial stability, independence, and helps families improve their social economic status. Equally important, UAOWF seeks to give orphans, widows and vulnerable children emotional, physical, educational and medical care. As their mission states, their aim is to “achieve lasting improvement in the quality of life of HIV/AIDS orphans, vulnerable children and widows through HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, education, material support, life skills training, health care, advocacy and income generating activities.”
Poultry Project for HIV/AIDS Widows
What can UAOWF do with 400 baby chicks?
As a starting point they will give out all 400 chicks to 40 HIV/AIDS widows who will use the birds to acquire profitable skills and gain self-reliance. The HIV/AIDS widows will receive training in local chicken management and will be expected, after their chicken’s first brood, to pass on 10 chicks to a new recipient.
The Poultry Project intends to improve nutrition, income, and crop yields by utilizing all aspects of the chickens. The chicken has great nutritional value providing homes with eggs and chicken meat, which can also be sold to generate income to the household. In addition, chicken droppings can be used to fertilize and improve crops. Since many recipients of the chicks are on HIV/AIDS treatment, they struggle to have a balanced diet and pay for medicine. Through the Poultry Project, women in this situation will have the option to eat a more balanced diet to manage HIV/AIDS and other side effects of the treatment.
Partnership
One Day’s Wages is partnering with UAOWF to provide funding to purchase the 400 chicks for HIV/AIDS affected communities around Eastern Uganda. The funding also helps to provide pre-planning for the Poultry Project, such as: meetings and training for women in chicken nurturing, monitoring and evaluation for six months, as well as equipment and supplies for the project.
Providing developing communities with livestock can also improve:
- Malnutrition and other nutritional deficiencies by offering a more balanced diet providing protein and energy for the bod
- Gender equality and empowering women through livestock by giving ownership, access to livestock services and markets, decision-making powers and resulting income.
Thank you for helping to make this grant possible!
