Portia and her husband have four children. They are hardworking and resourceful, but with no opportunities for formal employment, they survive on what they can grow and what her husband can earn when he is able to find work as a casual labourer. However, work is hard to find, and local farming practices are poor, so like most families in their village, they were struggling to provide for their children’s basic needs.
In the past, every day, Portia used to buy two bundles of vegetables for her family that cost $1 each. Now, with the biointensive farming training she received from Bopoma Villages, she is able to grow all the nutritious vegetables her family needs. She says, “I couldn’t manage before…but now that my garden has relieved me of buying vegetables, I am able to buy feed for my roosters which I raise for selling.”
Portia’s rooster business provides a small but essential income for the family. It has even improved the quality of her garden. She learned to use the straw from the roosters’ bedding as mulch, and the roosters’ droppings to provide manure to nourish her soil. Portia is proud that she can provide her family with healthy meals and, with the money she earns, help pay for the children’s school fees.
With better nutrition, improved health, and a small income, Portia and her husband have renewed hope for their family’s future.
Thanks to our generous donors, hundreds of families like Portia’s are gaining skills, training, and the dignity of providing for their families.