How Rwanda's Poultry Project Is Rewriting the Story for Teen Mothers

The Rwanda Cluster has been running a Small Poultry Support Project to support Teen Mothers and Vulnerable Children. In this blog, Cluster mobiliser MANASSE NTWARI tells us more about the project, the impact it has had and hopeful plans for the future.

Tell us about the Small Poultry Support Project and how it came about.

At its core, this is a project that puts chickens and eggs into the hands of teen mothers and vulnerable children from poor families across Rwanda. The goal is twofold: first, to improve nutrition for these households right now, and second, to give them a small livestock asset they can grow and eventually turn into income. We landed on poultry because it's practical — chickens don't need much space, they mature fast, and they give you food and a marketable product at the same time. For families with very little land or capital, that combination matters a lot.

Who does this project benefit?

Teen mothers and vulnerable children, specifically — young women who, in many cases, dropped out of school early and don't have a stable source of livelihood. Their children are the ones most at risk of malnutrition and poor development if nothing changes. We work with community leaders, local volunteers, and our existing Cluster networks to identify the households facing the greatest need — those dealing with food insecurity, income poverty, and social vulnerability all at once.

Great! So far, what has the project actually delivered?

To date, we've reached 80 beneficiary households and distributed 300 chickens — roughly three to four chickens per household. Alongside the birds themselves, we've given basic guidance on shelter construction, feeding, hygiene, and disease prevention, because handing someone a chicken without that support doesn't set them up to succeed.

What has the impact looked like on the ground? Any stories that stand out?

A few, actually. What's been most encouraging is watching teen mothers use the eggs and poultry not just for their own children, but to share with other pregnant women in their communities. That wasn't something we explicitly designed for — it emerged organically, and it's strengthening food security at a community level, not just a household one. We're also seeing genuine interest take root — beneficiaries asking more questions about poultry keeping as a long-term livelihood, not just a one-time handout. And the distribution process itself has pulled community leaders, volunteers, and our Cluster closer together, which gives us a stronger foundation to build on as we scale.

That community ripple effect is powerful. Let's talk about the harder side – what challenges have you run into?

Funding is the biggest one, honestly. What we've done so far is limited relative to the scale of need out there. Some households also struggle to provide adequate shelter and feed given how little they have to begin with, so we're leaning on community volunteers for ongoing follow-up. Disease risk and chick mortality are a real, ongoing concern too — that requires continued veterinary support and training, not a one-off visit. And the phase we're most excited about, which I'll get to, doesn't have dedicated funding yet.

Let's get into that. What does sustainability look like for a family that receives chickens?

We encourage households to keep a portion of the eggs and chicks for their own consumption, while reinvesting the rest — either growing the flock or selling a bit locally for small income. Community volunteers stay engaged after distribution to reinforce good management practices, because the real test isn't the handoff, it's whether that household still has a thriving flock six months or a year later.

You mentioned a second phase you're excited about. Tell us more.

Right now we're in Phase 1 — direct distribution and basic training. Phase 2 is where this really becomes transformative. We want to add vocational skills training tailored to what's actually viable in the local market, plus start-up materials and small business kits so beneficiaries can launch their own income-generating activities. That would come with mentorship, basic business management guidance — things like simple record-keeping and savings habits — and connections to local cooperatives and savings groups so the businesses have somewhere to plug into. The idea is to move families from subsistence to genuine income generation. But as I said, that phase is contingent on securing additional funding, so we're actively looking for donors, government institutions, and civil society partners who share this commitment.

If someone reading this wants to understand where the project goes from here, what's the plan?

Three things. First, we want to scale up and reach a significantly larger number of teen mothers and vulnerable children across more communities, using the same community-based targeting that's worked so far. Second, we aim to strengthen our follow-up and technical support so survival rates and flock productivity keep improving as we grow. And third, we want to build out simple monitoring tools so we can actually track beneficiary numbers, chicken survival, egg production, and household outcomes as the project expands — because good data is what lets us prove impact and make the case for continued support.

Any final thoughts you'd want to leave with people learning about this project for the first time?

Just that this started small but it's already showing what's possible when you meet people where they are with something practical and culturally familiar. Teen mothers who were isolated are now sharing food with their neighbours. Community volunteers who helped distribute chickens are now part of a support network that didn't exist before. And you can start something too!

Thank you for sharing, Manasse! It's a great reminder of how far a modest, well-targeted intervention can go. We wish you all the best.

Read how the Goma Cluster is supporting survivors of gender-based violence through investing in their leadership and agriculture here