A T T H E H O P E C O M M U N I T Y C E N T E R
During the month of January, we had the opportunityto purchase an incubator for 50 eggs. Withenthusiasm, we placed our very first eggs in theincubator.
21 days later, we welcomed our first 45chicks.
In March, when it was challenging to find fertilizedeggs in Haiti, the idea of crossbreeding our robust butsmall Haitian hens with larger, meatier Americanhens sprouted. After importing eggs from the USA byplane, we carefully retrieved them from the tarmacand delicately placed them in the incubator. Thusbegan our adventure of crossbreeding.
We aim to locally produce eggs (rather than importingfrom the Dominican Republic or the USA).Additionally,
we aspire to provide meat andeventually create mini-poultry farms for thefamilies we support.
Inspired by the parable of the talents, we offer a henand a rooster to families in the program. A few weekslater, we observe: if the family can keep the hens andmake them fruitful, the parents can then obtain amicroloan within our development program withongoing training. For families that might have keptone of the hens but couldn’t make it fruitful, theyenter a bi-monthly support program at the HopeCommunity Center
with individual follow-up,teaching sessions, praise, a hot meal, and a food pack.
For those whose hens end up in the pot, they areintegrated into an emergency program with weeklyfollow-up, increased food support, and psychologicaland medical assistance.
Every feather in this story contributes to anadventure rich in sharing, hope, and support forthe families we accompany.
Starting in October, our “American” hens were readyto be crossed with our Haitian roosters. This is howwe welcomed our first hybrid chicks. During October,our first hybrid hens began laying eggs!
SinceFebruary, we have seen 243 chicks hatch from ourchicken breeding
. To date, we have been able todistribute 79 hens to families in need, providingtangible support. Additionally, we sold 30 hens,generating resources for purchasing feed forproduction.
The month of September brought its share ofchallenges when the Dominican Republic closed itsborders with Haiti (borders that are still closed to thisday). Since that day, finding eggs has becomedifficult, and feed sacks for the hens remainunavailable. However, the hens continue to lay eggs,allowing us to offer them during lunch with the staffand families, and to donate hens.
A glimmer of hope and a project that makes so muchsense in this time of adversity. Recently, we havestarted producing fish (Tilapia) fed with chickenmanure. But that’s another story. Stay tuned for thenext update.