Happiness (Happy) John is in her early 20’s and lives in the Tloma area. She finished secondary school and went on to pursue a hospitality certification. When she was in her second year of the certification program, she had an unplanned pregnancy, causing her to cut short her education. As a single mother, she was highly motivated to find the means to support herself and her son.
Happy is very soft spoken, but listens intently and is very inquisitive. She has been involved with the Soap Ladies but has also been working with teacher Bertin Sulle to improve her English. Together they developed a business plan for a chicken farm/egg production business, which we affectionately refer to as Happy’s Hen House.
A builder visited her location to help her plan and design a house for the chickens. It will feature a clay brick building, plus a wire fence. They opted for clay brick instead of wood as brick will defend against termites and wood-eating ants. Brick also enhances the security of the chicks, protecting them from theft by humans and animal predators.
The Plan
Happy plans to purchase 25 to 35 almost grown chicks that should start laying within about a month after arrival. The proposal she submitted to Tloma Giving includes costs for the building and fencing, the chickens, feed, medication that may be needed, and food and water equipment.
Her projected income is based on each chicken laying an egg a day. Using this projection, we anticipate Happy will be quite successful in her endeavor, allowing her to ‘pay forward’ the start-up money – donating her repayment back to Tloma Giving, which will then become available to support similar projects – while providing a living for herself and her infant son.
Happy has visited a chicken farmer in Karatu for advice on planning the chicken house and best breeds of hens to choose. A resource in Arusha has been identified who is willing to come to Tloma to provide Happy with additional training. While the chicken house is being constructed, Happy is interning at Gibbs Farm, a nearby lodge, to learn husbandry skills. Sulle is also helping her to locate cafes, etc., that might contract with her to buy her eggs.
Our Involvement
Tloma Giving has agreed to provide the start-up capital to furnish Happy with the financial foundation for a new egg-production business. The money will be used for the construction of a fenced-in chicken house that can accommodate 25 to 35 chickens. Additionally, the funds will be used to purchase ready-to-lay chickens, water/feeder and related equipment, feed, and required medicine.
Teacher Bertin Sulle, who has been involved in conversations related to the design and planning of this project, will oversee the construction of the henhouse, purchase of the chickens, and supplies. He will also provide Tloma Giving with a status report during the setup of this project and updates as requested.
In addition to helping Happy fund her egg-laying business, this endeavor provides Tloma Giving the opportunity to explore whether a micro-loan program within the community is feasible, and whether establishing such a program can have an overall positive and sustainable impact on the residents of the village of Tloma.