An egg-cellent gift
Blessings multiply when you give a brood of chickens this Christmas
For Joyce Ngumbao, a mother of five living in Kenya, a brood of chickens has made all the difference.
In the past, she and her husband struggled to feed their children. Although they worked hard on their modest family farm, unpredictable weather meant they couldn’t rely on a sufficient harvest from their crops every year.
Joyce shared that her family often had to skip meals, eating just twice a day. “I’d wake up in the morning with children needing food,” she said. “But I would have nothing, not even some porridge.”
Thankfully, with encouragement from an MCC partner, Joyce was able to purchase a brood of life-changing chickens. She also received support and training on how to raise and care for the chickens.
These chickens began laying the foundation for a better future. A typical hen lays more than 200 eggs per year, providing an enduring source of protein, vitamins and minerals.
The project also helped Joyce learn new methods of farming to increase her harvests and income. Between the increased yields and her thriving flock of chickens Joyce can now ensure her family has three solid meals a day.
Joyce (yellow) prepares a meal for her husband Pius Kisumo (blue) and neighbors Ajelina Kamutu and Faith Muoki (child) at the family farm in Kwa Kavisi, Kenya. MCC photo/Matthew Lester
“Now we wake up with everyone feeling very healthy,” she says. “We wake up and get breakfast.”
Those crops and fresh eggs also mean her children are well-fed and energized for school – which is something the family can now afford.
Yes, chickens help pay for school fees too!
The family also can sell any eggs they don’t need. This income helps pay for the family’s expenses.
It also allows them to re-invest in their farm. So far they have improved their chicken coop and expanded their flock.
When asked how she feels now, Joyce said, “We feel joy, because we have everything we need.”
Someone like you can help make a difference for families around the world too!
This Christmas, you can help families like Joyce’s by giving the gift of chickens. And just like the benefits from a flock multiply, your gift will also multiply.
A generous group of MCC donors is matching gifts of chickens this year, which means your gift will be doubled!
Your gift of just $13 will provide TWO families with the chickens needed for nutritious eggs and the means to support themselves. That’s just good egg-onomics!
I want to help twice as many families by giving the gift of chickens
When you purchase chickens through the MCC Christmas Giving Guide in 2022, a group of generous MCC donors will match your donation up to a total of $33,000. That’s more than 2,500 broods of chicks helping families in need around the world.
Top photo caption: Joyce Ngumbao holds a chicken in the coop of the family farm in Kwa Kavisi, Kenya. Ngumbao has expanded her flock of chickens and improved their chicken house to create an alternative source of income during the dry season and drought. MCC photo/Matthew Lester