The JoyJ Initiative is funding a wonderful new project in Zambia!
The Joy J Initiative is excited to be funding a wonderful new project in Zambia that will help an orphanage housing 100 children to become more self-sustaining while teaching the older adolescent residents important entrepreneurial skills!
Our grant has provided the Fountain of Hope orphanage in Lusaka with funds to buy chickens to create a business where the older teenage orphans learn to breed, raise, butcher, package and sell the chicken meat to customers from the local community. This is going to provide income to sustain the orphanage and good nutrition to the children who live there. And for the orphans aged 17 or 18, it gives them a skill before they transition to living independently as young adults.
This past month was very exciting for the orphanage as the first 400 chicks arrived on December 13 with the second batch of 400 arriving a week later. It only takes six weeks of growth until the chickens are fully grown and ready to be slaughtered for packaging and sale. During this first phase, the orphanage has been advised by local mentors with expertise in the business to focus on meat production and hold off on investing in egg-laying chickens.  Later, when the meat business is successful, the plan is to introduce egg-laying chickens to the project.