Why the Protein Project?
In 2012 my husband and I adopted 2 girls from Bukavu in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo from an orphanage called Famille de
Bethlehem. For the girls’ sake we
have maintained a close relationship with the community and are therefore aware
of the situation there.
The orphanage, Famille de Bethlehem, is a registered NGO founded
by Mama Sifa and Papa Jerome over 30 years ago. They are currently caring for more than 100 children and
have raised over 500 throughout their history. Most of these children have been orphaned or separated from
their families through the circumstances of war, violence, accidents, and
maternal mortality.
Times are tough.
With the sharp increase in the prices of food over the last year, the
diet of the children has become restricted to maize, rice and vegetables with
occasional beans for protein. They
have only had meat twice this year:
Christmas and Easter.
A lack of adequate protein in children results in fatigue
and weakness, leaving them increasingly susceptibility to colds, flu and
infections. The long-term effects
include poor muscle development and growth retardation. All these affect the children’s ability
to perform at school and develop into healthy adults.
Because of this we want to raise money to start a chicken
and rabbit project that will create a sustainable source of protein for the
children.
Our plan is to purchase 100 laying hens and 11 rabbits.
- 100 layers will produce 3,200 eggs per year
- 10 female rabbits will produce 400 rabbits per
year
We are looking to raise $2,000 USD for start up costs.
Once going, this project will sustain
itself.
How it works
-
$1,421 USD to purchase 100 hens
plus construct a henhouse and feed them for the first 3 months until they start
laying
-
$455 USD to build 11 cages and to buy 10 female
rabbits and 1 male
-
Plus $124 miscellaneous costs (money transfer,
exchange rates, etc)
Total $2,000 USD
This will allow children to have a good source of protein
every day instead of twice of year.
We are grateful for the love and compassion that our girls
received living in the orphanage, and have seen the dramatic changes a healthy
diet has had on them. We want the same for the rest of the children in
the home.
How you can help
Consider giving a gift to support this sustainable project. Your gift will not end; as the benefits
will be long lasting.
Protein is important!
