The volunteers and sponsor funding is enabling YSOU to work with Ugandan rural women to set up sustainable, small-scale chicken-rearing enterprises that improve nutrition amongst women and children and lift families out of poverty.

In all rural communities, chickens are often managed by women, and chicken and eggs is a rich source of protein and nutrients. Yet, women are over-represented amongst those suffering from malnutrition. Rural women's low social and economic status, coupled with poor knowledge about nutrition, often impedes women from translating improved poultry production into the consumption of nutritious foods.

First, chickens are relatively cheap to maintain. Some breeds can live off what they eat off the ground, he explains, although augmenting that is probably a good idea. As for shelter, hens need just a rudimentary structure to protect their nests and eggs. Farmers who start with 10 hens and one rooster to fertilize them can end up with an average of 80 chicks within approximately one month considering the gestation period of hens. In Uganda, those chicks can sell for an average of $5 each after five months. Thus, farmers could earn as much as $400 per half a year, or even up to $1,000 per year, in income. That's not much, but it's a step up from the extreme poverty line of $600 a year, minus the minimum operational costs of the poultry that include feeds and vet services.

Youth Skilling Organization Uganda's Livestock for livelihoods project will establish 50 local Women's Livestock Groups, through which we will provide training in poultry rearing poultry feeds mixed, rationing and management to 1000 women in Uganda. A poultry scheme will be set up, which requires each woman to receive 10 hens and one rooster from Youth Skilling Organization Uganda. Village Saving and Loan Associations will be established, where women will unite to save and make funds available to invest in each other's businesses. These interventions will be combined with training in poultry breeding, fattening and production of eggs and chicken for sell so that women can grow their fledgling businesses into profitable enterprises. Through a blend of targeted communication activities, this project will look to inspire, educate and empower 1000 women to consume more eggs and improve their families' diets.

" Raising chickens is probably the easiest and cheapest way to make money as well as to assure a food supply if you have a low income and have access to land. By strengthening women’s economic and social position and improving their knowledge of nutrition, it will help address malnutrition amongst pastoralist women and children" Serunyiigo Lameck Youth Skilling Organization Uganda's CEO said.

A lack of veterinary and quality feeds services is limiting poultry production. Youth Skilling Organization Uganda will strengthen the business capacity of local vets and community animal healthcare workers so that existing businesses can expand their operations and new businesses can provide vital services to local livestock keepers.

I believe that as citizens in the West, we have a duty to help people in other parts of the world. This generation is faced with both responsibilities and opportunities. Of course, no individual can solve huge problems alone, but if everyone carries out their role as global citizens, we will be well on our way. As Edmund Burke once said: "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little."

As a person who loves humanity and wishes to help it's upliftings, I was so pleased to discover and offer my support to Youth Skilling Organization Uganda. This organization defends, maintains, and strengthens the foundational elements of a healthy community.

The rights of children and young people are championed here not only through a school education and health and hygiene support, but through proper stewardship of the land that a community may thrive on. I love how this organization joins formal education, sustainable agricultural practices, and the development of worthwhile business practices to create meaningful experiences for youth in rural Uganda. With Youth Skilling Organization Uganda, our money can go a long way in marginalised communities - just $50 can help to lift a family out of poverty.

Another reason why this is so worthwhile is that, it's a known solution to poverty - you don't need to spend millions on research. It's about putting these solutions into action. I hope that we will have been able to support many young people and their families to sustain themselves in the future, and that we can contribute towards achieving the second Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating global hunger by 2030.

As an educator with a Montessori background, I do not think there is anything more important for building vibrant and healthy communities.

The staff that I have had the pleasure of meeting are truly dedicated to their work, they have such an exceptional amount of integrity, kindness, love, and good-will that I wish I could work with them more closely. I have been offering whatever support I can from quite a distance, and with limited resources, but they have been so gracious in encouraging me to help in even the smallest of ways. It has been fulfilling on a personal level to build trust and friendships with some of the staff, and to see photos of the students smiling, eating lunch, enjoying one another.

I can tell they love their teacher very much! I also enjoy traveling when I can and am looking forward to meeting people that I now consider to be more than just colleagues but also friends. I'll also enjoy to take advantage of having trusted contacts in a country I have always wanted to visit!

I kindly encourage you to reach-out and get involved with Youth Skilling Organization Uganda in any way you can, there are endless ways to support this amazing organization even remotely. It simply takes a little creativity to make something happen, and it could even be a valuable learning opportunity for young people abroad to connect with one another. Get your children or students involved too!

Here at Youth Skilling Organization Uganda, a charity dedicated to empowering Ugandan young people through various programs and small scale farmers grow their incomes while managing the natural resources sustainably, we strongly believe that Uganda is the same. So many critics of aid harbor and project perceptions of Uganda that show sources of uncertainty like conflict, political unrest, climate variability and fluctuating markets. These are often the very people who believe that aid doesn't work!
It's true that agriculture, investment, and protection of vital natural resources in many parts of Uganda can sometimes be complex - and unpredictable. But after 5 years of working in several parts of Uganda, with rural communities and youth in critical locations, we are confident that we have found many elements of the winning strategy for transforming lives.
We know how to combine both traditional and modern approaches to build farmers' knowledge and capabilities. Having under gone intensive training in commercial beans, Irish potato growing and harvesting techniques via our demonstration farms and various training sessions, the yields of bean and Irish potato farmers we worked with in Busuuju sub-county of Mityana district multiplied over a period of three years and their incomes rose to 90% generally.
Knowing that empowering women can really bring about prosperity. Our campaign in the Mpigi District Kalagala village where we gave livestock to women, helped them access credit through Village Savings and Loans Associations, we also raised awareness of women's legal rights, led to increases in both women's abilities to generate income and savings, and their decision making powers.
More importantly, we're learning more and more about how we can help small agribusinesses to overcome some key market challenges and unlock exciting opportunities, bringing more markets to farmers.
It's not very hard. Our first annual progress report, which includes detailed case studies on various ventures, outlines how YSOU's investment in sustainable agricultural development is harvesting dividends for rural communities. That's proof that aid really works.
We at Youth Skilling Organization Uganda believe that eventually Uganda can evolve from aid, and this is the right kind of investment that can really unlock its true initiative. We are committed to projecting an image of Uganda that is positive, progressive, and has the capacity for transformational change and we hope that our new impact report goes some way to dispelling the myths of 'hanger and poverty being someone else's problem'.
With the right kind of support, attention to protection of the natural resources, and investment that can really reach out and touch people's lives for the better, we are confident that the UN's Sustainable Development Goals can be delivered in some of the most critical locations Uganda.