Now that we have your attention, we'll tell you about our Piggy Program.  In the early spring, friends of ours from Canada donated some money to our project in Banda. We decided to use part of it to start some small businesses with the widows. Pastor Hummer suggested chickens and piglets. 

 

It was discovered soon after starting, that the chickens were a difficult business, they were getting diseases and dying, cost too much to feed and keep healthy and were not very profitable. On to the piggy program. Six of the ladies got one piglet each. We paid top dollar, about $20 each, for really good healthy piglets from the university farming program. In a few months, they will be  ready to breed in their little “love shack” (I had to get that in since “love shack” was the only song we could find on our itunes that even came close to fitting the topic). When they breed in a few more months, they will produce between 12 and 16 little piglets each (too cute – I love baby piglets, just ask my Mom). Each of the ladies will keep one or two to raise up and breed again, a few will go to the school to sell once big enough for slaughter (mmm-bacon) to help pay for the school costs, and the rest will be distributed to other widows to begin to raise. Our vet, Wycliffe is in charge of teaching the women how to raise and take care of the pigs. He estimates that in 3 years, a thousand little piggys will potentially have been born through this program. 

 

Our hope is that there will be many positive outcomes from this piggy program: the widows will learn a business that will earn them income so that they can provide for their children and contribute towards the church and school, the widows will be able to teach their children and other friends and family how to raise piglets, and the costs of running the school will be significantly reduced. Thanks Paul and Marie for the piggys!!

 

 Currently 40 women from the church are enrolled in a course on how to start their own businesses. The course is being taught by a small business consultant and it is held at the church 2-3 times per week for one month. The first 10 widows are about to graduate, and will then propose their ideas for their own small businesses. We’ll keep you posted. You’re craving a ham sandwich right now aren’t you? Go ahead, get up and go make one, with lots of mustard and dill pickles. I must be hungry………