Jessica Calix, a young mother, lives in a small, rural community in Olancho, Honduras. Even though the Olancho region is noted for its agriculture, food for low-income families like Jessica’s is not always easy to access, and it is a difficult place to make a living. Not being able to provide the essentials for her small daughter, Laura, was disheartening for Jessica, but she did the best she could.

But soon, a new opportunity came in a completely unexpected way. Through World Renew, Jessica and other families in the community were provided with the gift of chickens. And, with training from our local partner, Diaconia, Jessica and her neighbors learned about the production of chickens, hens, and eggs to improve their food security—and to create better long-term economic opportunities for their community.

“We built the chicken coops,” shares Jessica, “and we’ve produced a lot of chickens, to eat and sell, and now we’ve got 170 hens, mainly for egg production. This is an important project for our families; it’s providing us all with food and a small income. There’s not a lot of employment here, so it’s very useful.”

Today, the eggs and meat from the chickens not only provide important nutrition for her daughter’s growth, but they also help Jessica earn extra income. “Diaconia and World Renew have helped us; they taught us to build hen runs and chicken coops, to raise chickens, to look after hens, and to maximize egg production. They’ve also taught us to run this as a small business. If it’s managed right, we all get to eat eggs and we make a profit too. . . We sell [the eggs] to the shops nearby,” says Jessica.

For Jessica, the training program has been life-changing, and it has built her confidence as a businesswoman. But most of all, the unexpected gift of chickens has been a source of comfort for Jessica, knowing her daughter is well-fed and growing up healthy.

Jessica’s dreams of a better life came true with the simple gift of a few chickens. Imagine what dreams your gift will make come true for someone else.