It’s been a dark couple of years for the Mawa Transformational Community Development (TCD) community, but they are now able to catch glimpses of light. After their primary source of income was erased due to the African Swine Flu pandemic, the village TCD Committee came together and learned to raise ducks.

This took some time, however, and at one point 60% of the men in the village were forced to seek employment opportunities far from home, leaving families separated for long periods of time. Over the last year, the population of ducks grew as the TCD Village Committee created and implemented a plan to propagate ducks so that many families could join and receive the benefits of selling ducks and eggs for income to help make ends meet.

During the recent holiday season, many of the men returned home to be with their families. They were encouraged to find meat and eggs to eat from the duck project, alleviating financial burden. In addition, the community raised funds to buy four female pigs in an attempt to resume pig-raising operations. The pigs are healthy and growing well! The TCD committee estimates that they could have up to 25 pigs this year to be divided among village families for raising and propagation.

With Income Generation opportunities returning to the village, a number of the men decided to stay home rather than depart again to find employment. Things are looking up for the Mawa people. As the village moves toward TCD graduation, they are proving once again that they are ready to continue the climb out of poverty on their own without relying on outside resources and aid. It feels good for them to experience hope for a brighter future!

*For the purpose of safety and wellbeing, “Hasan”, is a pseudonym for the individual being helped by this project.

Thank you,

Written by Ronny, GHNI Partner