Mt Kilimanjaro, TZ – Garden shop employee gets to apply job skills to home life for increased income – 15 Aug

Eliza continues to expand her livestock holdings at home. The most recent additions are 2 piglets which she is planning to fatten and sell. She received the piglets as a loan from Lishe Bora and Parmiters students helped her build a “Happy Pig” style pig pen. Eliza now has 3 goats, 1 pregnant cow, 1 calf, and 2 piglets.

Lishe Bora has operated a demonstration “Happy Pig Pen” since 2015 when Parmiters students constructed it. The demonstration pen tests and educates local families about improved methods for raising pigs organically. After 2 successful years operating the pig pen, Lishe Bora was ready to bring the project to families to start their own family-sized versions.

Eliza’s primarily responsibility for Lishe Bora is running the organization’s 2 pig pens, so she was excited to hear that there was an opportunity to start her own pig pen at home. This would allow her to use skills learned at work to directly improve her family’s income. She had never raised pigs at home before, but she knew they would be a good complement to her other livestock and they would provide lots of manure to make compost for her vegetable garden.

Eliza and her family were responsible for arranging construction materials before students arrived to help build the pig pen. Parmiters students showed up ready to work. They constructed the pen in one day and then delivered the piglets to their new home.

Eliza’s goal is to fatten and sell the 2 piglets she received a loan for and then use the proceeds to purchase 4 piglets. 4 piglets is the maximum number that fit in her pig pen, so she plans to continuously fatten and sell 4 piglets at a time to help pay for her daughter’s school fees. Eliza’s daughter as one year left of secondary school. She is a very bright girl and will probably qualify for university. She would be the first family member ever to do so and Eliza hopes that she can pay the school fees when the opportunity arises!