A poultry project by mining firm, ‘Base Titanium’ continues to gain traction among women and youth groups in Kwale and Mombasa counties.
The firm, simply referred to as ‘Base’, is implementing the poultry programme in parts of Kwale and Likoni sub county of Mombasa as a viable income generating venture.
The programme through the company’s corporate social responsibility is slowly uplifting lives of poor women and youth
The poultry initiative seeks to improve food security and nutrition and generally improve living conditions of beneficiaries by providing a regular source of income.
Through the project, Base has been able to empower the community with skills on poultry management, which has seen them embrace poultry farming for both meat and eggs, providing food security and an additional source of income.
‘Base’ supports both individuals and groups with pullets and mature chickens, allowing beneficiaries to breed additional stock.
‘Base’ Community Relations Manager, Pius Kassim said that last month, ‘Base’ supported 25 individual farmers and community groups in up-scaling their poultry rearing businesses across Matuga, Msambweni and Lungalunga Sub-counties.
He said their projects saw 5,400 eggs sold and a further 720 chicks hatched. The groups now have over 1,050 mature chickens which continue to breed.
Kassim said ‘Base’ will continue providing them with an opportunity to set up sustainable projects which offer gainful employment amongst themselves.
He said the Company through its livelihood programme seeks to empower local communities with better quality of life that will outlive the life of the Kwale Mine fields.
Kassim said local youth and women’s groups are given leadership and financial training while also being mentored on entrepreneurship and business management.
These skills ensure they are better equipped to manage and run successful businesses and during October and November last year 10 youth groups were mentored through the programme.
Giza Youth Group from Mt Sinai in Likoni is among the groups to have benefited through the programme.
The group which comprises 10 members received 400 broiler chicks, feeders, drinkers and necessary essentials to kick start a poultry business from ‘Base’.
It is hoped that providing a sustainable livelihood to the youth will help combat drug and substance abuse in the community.
Sultan Suleiman, a Giza Youth Group team leader said the objective of setting up the group was to bring youth together, educate and sensitize them on the effects of abusing drugs and other banned substances.
He said with the help of ‘Base’, they now have an income generating venture that is sustaining them.
Suleiman said the young people are now keen to engage in poultry farming and keep off from the drugs menace that has hit the larger percentage of the youth in the coastal counties of Mombasa and Kwale.
“Young people should venture into income generating activities which will make them busy and engaged and thus avoiding indulging in drugs and substance abuse,” he said.
He said there is need to promote poultry keeping among women and young people to enable families achieve improved nutrition needs and better income.
By Hussein Abdullahi
