The rainy season

Day 3 of the chicken project began with a field visit to Ombeyi, one of the villages where we work. Our Land Rover is falling apart and today one of the windows broke so we had to tape a bag over it to keep the mud out. Most of the doors are broken and can only be opened from the outside. But we will be relying on it heavily to take us into the villages where we work. The rainy season is just starting and the rivers are already overflowing their banks. Soon the rivers will cover the roads and bridges and getting around will be treacherous.

I took a picture of the road to Ombeyi where the OGRA medical clinic, orphan feeding center and chicken coop are located. The roads here have quickly deteriorated in the heavy rains but you can see our chicken coop sits high above the flooding.

The baby chicks are under stress from the poor weather conditions and we have lost 4 birds so far. One of the canvas windows to the coop ripped open during the storm and chilled some of the chicks causing them to get sick. I placed a plywood board over the hole and asked the coop attendants to use an empty feed bag to fashion new curtains. You can see that the chicks are huddled a bit more on one side of the brooder because of the wind draft. Amazingly the chickens will let you know what is wrong but you need to understand what their behavior means. The chicks are growing fast and appear to be growing some new feathers!

I took a picture of the orphan feeding center just before the kids come in for lunch. The food is prepared outside and is usually just vegetables and boiled maize. I am hoping to supplement the meals with some protein with my chicken project. I found this prayer taped to the wall of the classroom and it was very humbling to read how grateful they are for what little they eat. The children are very cheerful and have a wonderful outlook on life.

I took the last picture at sunset after a rain storm had passed through.