KIDS is excited to be embarking on a new project with the Borokwony Women’s Group! The Borokwony Women’s Group is based in the Lemolo IDP Camp community in Kenya. KIDS has spent the last several years building and maintaining personal relationships with members of this community, as we supported the funding, building, and completion of a borehole that provides clean water to the community at an affordable price.
The Borokwony Women’s Group is in the early stages of implementing a new program based on hatching and raising chicks to generate sustainable income for the women in the community. Eventually, they hope to be able to hatch over 1,000 chicks a month, but even a smaller number will help provide sustainable and stable income for the women and their families!
As part of our mission to work towards a world where everyone (including children) live more and suffer less, KIDS uses 4 of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) as a framework to achieve this:
1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
4. Quality Education
6. Clean Water & Sanitation
The projects that we support always focus on at least one of these goals, but the ripple effects often go much wider.
Having the ability to generate a stable income in a sustainable way (like hatching chicks) is perhaps the most obvious way that a community can achieve no poverty. However, when a household has a reliable income, this also reduces child hunger as parents are able to purchase food. A stable income also means that they can purchase books and school supplies - leading to greater chances of children receiving a quality education, dramatically improving their life chances. And while there may not be a direct link to clean water everywhere, in the Lemolo Community at least, if a family has an income, they know that there is affordable, safe water available to them from the borehole.
The Borokwony Women’s Group chick hatching project touches more goals than just these 4. It will help reduce inequalities (SDG #10) and improve gender equality (SDG #5) in the community. Globally, women earn 24% less than men, but this widens in developing countries like Kenya. Working with women specifically to develop sustainable income solutions can have a larger impact, as well, since women are more likely to invest that money back into their families and communities. Seeing their mothers successfully earning a living shows children - both boys and girls - that women are able to be successful in keeping decent work and creating economic growth (SDG #8). And when new economic initiatives are created with community support and sustainability in mind, it helps promote responsible production and consumption (SDG #12).
By working with KIDS Initiative to help turn this project into reality, the Borokwony Women’s Group is building international partnerships to achieve the goals (SDG #17). In just one project, there are connections to at least 9 SDGs, in one way or another. Analyzing a project like this through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals is a great way to see just how far one idea or donation can go towards enriching the lives of children anywhere!
