Elders and their families in the remote Tamang villages outside of Kathmandu, as well as the elder care home we support in Guatemala, are being given the tools to customize and manage this exciting program on their own.

While our ultimate goal is to provide greater food security for our partners, this program offers the additional benefits of reducing materials and food waste, and gives them an inexpensive alternative to meat.

We are working in partnership with a hen-keeping expert based in the U.K., and an agroecology non-profit within each country. Having this dual focus allows our partners to decide which component will work for them; how to implement the program is also their decision.

They are learning how to preserve their food culture while working with our changing climate to protect their soil, and how to create sustainable agriculture practices to last well into the future. In addition, they are learning how to properly care for and keep chickens, and how to collect and use the eggs, in order to have a sustainable protein source and inexpensive alternative to animal products. Lastly, because coops, nesting boxes, and garden areas can be constructed out of a variety of materials, this program is reducing waste in these geographic areas.

Working under the de-colonialization model, we understand that we cannot walk into their community and tell them what’s best for them and how to do it. Instead, we are simply offering them the opportunity to expand their knowledge, cut their food costs, and increase their chances for survival in the next few years.

We think it is a winning program from top to bottom, and we hope you will join us in this endeavor!