Stephen
Cargill, also called Bald Eye likes to think of himself
as a social worker.
He lives in an inner city community
called Compound in Central Village, St. Catherine, Jamaica
where he is the community coordinator for the Red Cross
supported Chicken Project. Arlene Spencer also lives in
the community. Arlene is in her 40’s and is married
with three children.
Both Stephen and Arlene are participants in the Chicken
Project which was established in November 2006 with support
from the Jamaica Red Cross.
The project was established
as part of a rehabilitation grant from Hurricane Ivan.
The Jamaica Red Cross provided 200
chickens, chicken feed, mesh, board, zinc and tarpaulin
to help establish the project.
Community members supplemented
the gap with other necessary supplies such as providing
the workmen, steel, cement, nail and other resources.
The project has approximately 100 chickens at any given
time, which are prepared every six weeks to be sold to
various buyers.
Buyers include LASCO Ltd, a major
dairy company and numerous restaurants in the vicinity.
As part of the project, there are also 20 layers which
produce eggs for sale.
Other community members also support
the project by purchasing eggs and chickens.
Bald Eye explains that they
earn over J$20,000 (US$333) in revenue every six weeks,
from which payments are made.
They have also bought a
freezer out of the revenue. He noted that while this
is good, they have plans to extend the project to meet
the increasing demand from their clients, while at the
same time increase the benefits for its workers.
He also
wants to employ other persons who do not have jobs. “We
want to have the project on a scale where each person can
have a weekly salary,” Bald Eye said.
The persons involved in the
project are thankful for the initiative as they see it
is a positive income generating activity through which
they can provide for their family.
“Persons
are glad for it [the chicken project],” Bald eye
notes “It stops a gap. A man can come and make some
money and provide food for his family.”
He added
that the project gives its operators a level of independence
and responsibility and helps prevent them, especially the
younger ones, from pursuing negative activities, such as
stealing, to provide for their family.
Arlene said the project has
been useful. “It helps
to put food on the table and helps send the children to
school.”
She shared the view that while the
project is good, it needs to be expanded. “It is good. We
have lots of sales but we also have a lot of demand so
we need to extend the project so that we can meet the demands.”
“We thought this was a good
way to help persons by not just providing relief, but also
to help rehabilitate them [after a disaster],” Jamaica
Red Cross director general Yvonne Clarke explains, “to
give them the opportunity to earn something on a long term
basis rather than just collect a food package.”
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