The House of Hope Chicken Farm project, funded by the Scotiabank Bright Future program, will provide a long-term income solution for the House of Hope orphanage as well as provide a source of food for the children.

House of Hope is an orphanage in Gressier, Haiti housing close to 200 children. Established in 1990, House of Hope care for children between the ages of 4 – 22 who are orphaned or whose parents are unable to care for them due to high levels of poverty.

Before the project, House of Hope was facing two growing challenges: the challenge of providing healthy meals each day to ensure the children were adequately nourished, and the challenge of continuing to support the older children due to high levels of unemployment (50%). These children and young adults would be at risk of ending up on the street if not for House of Hope.

This joint effort between Food For The Poor Canada and Food For The Poor Haiti was made possible through the generous funding of Scotiabank. The House of Hope Chicken Farm project will provide the children with a source of food, a sustainable source of income from the sale of chickens and eggs to the community, as well as skills training to generate an income for the young adults at the orphanage. The House of Hope Chicken Farm project enabled the building of three chicken coops, the purchase of 600 chicks and 240 ready-to-lay chickens as well as equipment and supplies. The funding also provided a three day training course for staff and older children who will be responsible for day-to-day care and management of the farm. The training will also cover sales and marketing skills.

The chicken farm is now fully established with construction, preparation and training completed. The first cycle of broiler chicks has been sold and the second cycle is underway. The orphanage is using approximately 65% of production for sales and 35% of production for meal supplementation at the orphanage.

The income generated by the chicken farm will support the orphanage in providing safe and healthy accommodation, health care and education for the children. The chicken farm has brought stability and security to the orphanage.

The nutritious source of food will reduce the orphanage’s costs for food and will allow them to spend those funds where they are most needed. The ongoing source of food will help children receive the nutrition and energy they need to concentrate, learn and play.

The skills and confidence developed will help prepare the children to become economically active adults and increase their participation in their community.