OVC Best Practice
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How two Hens fueled Abdu Semuyingo’s Success in Wakiso District, Uganda In 2007, Set Them Free International running a community development support programme in Busuukuma Sub-county, Wakiso district in Uganda had a children’s outreach project that targeted 180 vulnerable children. Among these Abdu was was given a hen and a cock in as an incentive to improve his livelihood and education. Abdu Semuyingo is an orphan who was orphaned at the age of five years. His father died two years ago after divorcing with his mother. The mother had gotten married to his step father but who also does not work for they are peasants so Abdu cannot rely on her mother for support other than finding his and his one sister’s way out. Abdu left the home and is currently in primary five and living with his grandmother who is too old and economically unable to take care of her 4 orphaned children, she is taking care of both at home and in sending them to school. Below are the photos and testiomany showing who Abdu Semuyingo is and his growing chicken
Semuyingo’s Testimony: Abdu grew up the hen and the cock given to him for 3 months after which he sold the cock at 7000Uganda shs (equivalent 2 GB Pounds or 3 US Dollars) and he kept the money. Then he took good care of the hen, it laid fifteen eggs, he sold five eggs and the rest were hatched by the hen into ten chicks, two chicks were eaten by a kite and three were eaten by wild animals. The five chicks grew into four hens and a cock. Semuyingo then sold the cock and with this money, he bought 4 dogs because his home is next to a small forest that inhabits the vultures that pick on chicks. So to protect the chicken and their homestead the dogs necessity. He also bought maize brand to feed the poultry. He again sold off two hens and paid his school fees for two terms, paid for porridge at school and also bought some clothes. Abdu a Primary 5 pupil at Hope Nursery and Primary School in Busukuma, Wakiso has so far able to top up his sister’s school fees and his three cousins from what the grandmother can raise for them. Abdu currently has seven hens, 3 cocks seven young ones and many chicks, and he built a chicken pen for them. However, There are many other stories of other children like Abdu, young entrepreneurs in the making, hardworking young children and future leaders who can make our work worthwhile, and leaving them helpless makes them lose what they could actually become. So this calls on you to make your support a noble cause and demand that we reach out and support such young visionaries. Abdu's Remarks and Future Dream Abdu says that, school fees is still a burden for him and his cousin brothers and the sister, and that they would also like to have meals at school which cost UGX 68,000= or £ 20 per term for each child. He lacks scholastic materials like books, pens, school uniform and he cannot be able to pay for academic trips performed by the school, and so he misses out. Abdu desires to become an agriculturalist and a business man in the future. |
