What is the Pig Project? Why pigs? Why women?

Because poverty and hunger are women’s issues. Village women bear the brunt of farming, feeding and providing for their family. These mothers, daughters, sisters of ours have dreams of beginning a business but lack the capital and resources to escape the cycle of poverty that they live in.

In the summer of 2011, myself and two of my girlfriends kick-started a micro-finance project. We have twenty women that are widows and/or women from broken marriages that are a part of our group, Kamalatu. During our stay, we built a pig pen, purchased the piglets and held classes. Each woman who enrolls in our program will continue to attend sessions that will educate them on the responsibility of taking care of the pigs and the options of being involved. The women are currently raising and care for these seed piggies until they have matured. After the pigs have grown, the piglets they produce will be sold and the money from the sales will provide the women the opportunity to take out a loan. For a women who lives in a village access to capital is a rarity. These loans provide a way to earn an income to support their families. This income, in turn, will allow the women to buy food for their families, send their children to school, visit the clinic and give them the chance to embrace the freedom that comes with entrepreneurship. When translated, Kamalatu means ‘working together for good’, and we intend to do just that.  It is more than just raising pigs, it’s about growing dreams and empowering a future.