Fried; poached; boiled; scrambled.... how do you eat your eggs? 

An egg is one of the most convenient and nutritious ways of getting protein, not to mention how delicious a freshly laid egg tastes! Do you take them for granted? I know I did. But that was before I visited Maria's Care School in Kamuli, Uganda and fancied an egg for breakfast. The yolk was so pale that it blended in with the white, and was completely tasteless! The complete opposite to the ones my backyard hens laid at home. It got me to thinking.....

I saw a dilapidated building and a large barren piece of land behind the school, which belonged to Maria's Care. Then came the vision. If we could transform the building into a hen house, clear and plough the field and get some hens, then every child would not only have a delicious,, protein giving, freshly laid egg every day, but it would be a sustainable project bringing much needed funds into the school.

The vision is to have a secured hen house for 400 hens and cockerels. There will be nest and breeding boxes, a large area for the hens to free-range, a heated hatchery, a full time job for someone to look after them and a part-time night watchman with a guard dog. The adjoining field will grow maize to feed the hens and a previous Maria's Care pupil, who is now a poultry vet will ensure they are healthy. Surplus eggs and chicks can be sold making it a self sustaining project

After much fund-raising with auctions, car washing, coffee morning's, lunches, presentations etc., money was raised, work carried out, and we are almost there.... almost! 

I am in Uganda as I write this and longing to see it completed  

Hopefully some of you will catch this vision and want to help. Any donation you could make would be a step closer to actually getting the hens in before I leave. A dream come true for me, but definitely for the children.

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