“Cuckoo” and “kuku” are both pronounced the same way, but have entirely different meanings. In Swahili “kuku” means chicken. This last month Village Enterprise staff has been busy implementing our Kuku Business-In-A-Box project. A Business-In-A-Box is a program that provides business owners with the necessary inputs to start a business rather than a cash grant. The Kuku-In-A-Box project started in September as staff researched chicken rearing requirements and met with potential distributors who could supply the inputs for the project. Village Enterprise has established a strong relationship with Kenchic, a company based in Kenya that does research and sells a variety of chicks. After negotiating prices, Kenchic agreed to provide the chicks for our Kuku-In-A-Box program and give a specialized broiler chick training to our business owners. Each Kuku-In-A-Box will include 55 broiler chicks, 2 vaccines per chick, 1 brooding pot, 50ml liquid paraffin, 125kg food, 1 feeder, and 1 drinker. Business owners will also be given special vitamins to feed the chicks to supplement their health.
Broiler chicks are raised specifically for meat and have a faster maturity rate compared to other chickens and they can be sold approximately after the 5th week, once they reach 1.5 kg. A normal chicken in Kenya can sell anywhere from KSH 250-300 per kg (over $5.00 per chicken), so with 55 chicks all over 1 kg, business owners hope to earn substantial profits.
Before receiving their chicks, business owners went through an extensive preparation process. First they attended required business trainings, and then business owners constructed a kuku house, or chicken coop, out of locally sourced materials. Business Mentors advised the business owners in this process and gave the final approval that the houses were secure and ready for chicks.
After these steps were completed, the owners were given their Kuku-Business-In-A-Box.
On the day of the disbursement, 2,090 day old broiler chicks were distributed to 38 Kenyan business groups, each consisting of 3 individuals. It was an exciting day, and the chicks were adorable! The business owners were thrilled to have everything they needed for their business. The Kenyan staff, and business owners, cannot wait to see the results of this new Business-In-A-Box project! Check back in a few months for an update.
Heather Clingman
Fellow & Peace Corps Volunteer