Microsoft founder Bill Gates has launched a campaign to help extremely poor families in sub-Saharan Africa by giving them chickens.
Bill Gates, the billionaire philanthropist, believes that raising and selling chickens can be a way to tackle extreme poverty in Africa. Mr. Gates has promised to donate 100,000 chickens. He has a fun way for you to help as well. Watch the video on the project's page and answer a question and a flock of chickens will be donated to a family Africa in your name.
The UN estimates that 41% of people in sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty. So why would chickens fight poverty? The Coup Dreams blog post gives the following reasons.
Why Chickens?
- They are easy and inexpensive to take care of. Many breeds can eat whatever they find on the ground. Chickens need few vaccines.
- They’re a good investment. Suppose a new farmer starts with five hens. One of her neighbors owns a rooster to fertilize the hens’ eggs. After three months, she can have a flock of 40 chicks. Eventually, with a sale price of $5 per chicken—which is typical in West Africa—she can earn more than $1,000 a year, versus the extreme-poverty line of about $700 a year.
- They help keep children healthy. Malnutrition kills more than 3.1 million children a year. Although eating more eggs—which are rich in protein and other nutrients—can help fight malnutrition, many farmers with small flocks find that it’s more economical to let the eggs hatch, sell the chicks, and use the money to buy nutritious food. But if a farmer’s flock is big enough to give her extra eggs, or if she ends up with a few broken ones, she may decide to cook them for her family.
- They empower women. Because chickens are small and typically stay close to home, many cultures regard them as a woman’s animal. Women who sell chickens are likely to reinvest the profits in their families.
We encourage you to help by watching the video on this page, answer the question, and donate a flock to a family.