Visit to Ugachick

Above: Fred, the manager of Maranatha’s chicken project, and thousands of his hens’ eggs

Maranatha began raising chickens for egg production back in March, after much planning. The goals of the chicken project are threefold: to provide a more nutritious diet for Maranatha’s students, to provide practical training in egg production for Maranatha’s vocational students, and to generate income for the organization.

One of my primary objectives while here is to work with Patrick and Fred to establish good management practices, evaluate the market and viability of egg production, and ultimately help them achieve profitability. Luckily, I have many resources surrounding me because I know even less about chickens than I did about procuring bricks in Uganda before I got here.

Below: Fred tends to the chickens to make sure they have enough water and feed

First and foremost, the evaluation of the operations is being guided by Paul Helgeson of the Egg Module (http://www.eggmodule.org). Paul has extensive experience with chickens and has designed a franchise model for implementing for-profit small-scale egg production in less-developed rural areas. His tools have been invaluable for analyzing the business. Also, I am being helped by Paul Lemieux, who has a doctorate in animal science and has met Fred and Patrick previously in his capacity as a member of KidsUganda, a non-profit based in Lake Bluff, IL. The third pillar has turned out to be Ugachick, Uganda’s leading poultry producer.

Yesterday, Patrick, Fred, Patrick’s wife Eva, Patrick’s daughter Catherine, and I had the opportunity to visit Ugachick. Ugachick employs 200 people and produces and sells feed, processed chicken, and day-old chicks. The company supplied Maranatha with their first batch of 1600 chicks 4 months ago. Fortunately, the Managing Director (who owns a majority stake in the company) is Patrick’s brother-in-law. For three hours, we had a private audience with him and his chief veterinary doctor. In addition to providing us with an overview of the industry in Uganda and the background of the company, they gave Fred specific technical recommendations for managing Maranatha’s flock.

It was wonderful to have the opportunity to sit in on a conversation where Ugandans were training other Ugandans, as well as a naïve American, about egg production. Currently, the project is not profitable, but we are confident that with the help of so many partners, we can achieve profitability and attain all three project objectives.

The Managing Director, Aga Sekalala, is in the center of the picture below. You can tell by the way he is dressed that he has his hands in every level of the business!