Two-Buck Chick

One of my fellow volunteers here at CCS, Ed (who sadly leaves Tanzania with his lovely partner-in-crime, Jane, today) has been working at the local juvenile detention center these past three weeks. Not long after his arrival there three weeks ago, he discovered that one of the things the boys (and one girl resident) needed most was a chicken coop… as they are desperately in need of another source of income, food, and responsibility (i.e., eggs). Their days are normally filled with…well, not much (another volunteer teaches them some lessons in the morning, and they have a small garden, but that’s about all there is to do), so life’s more than a little bleak. We have learned, however, that for some of the kids, the ju-vee is a better home than wherever they came from – imagine that, for a minute. A barbed-wire compound with nothing but yard and some large bunk-rooms (and one “classroom”) -- a better home than Home.

Anyway, Ed decided that before his three weeks were up, he would make sure a chicken coop was built and some chickens were bought so that day-to-day life at the detention center could be a little more comfortable and purposeful. Enlisting the other volunteers’ help, I found myself joining Ed at the detention center one day to see if I could lend a hand in constructing the coop. Although I was largely unhelpful (some of the young residents were pitching in, so my extra hands were mostly unneeded), I was happy to support the project and take part in what Ed later dubbed the “2 Buck Chick” campaign (guess where he dreamed up the inspiration for this name, haha).

“2 Buck Chick” is exactly what it sounds like – for two bucks, one can sponsor a baby chicken for the ju-vee coop. Isn’t it incredible, the impact two dollars can make in this world? (At home, it can almost buy you a bottle of Charles Shaw – decidedly a good deal, haha; here, it means food and income for weeks and months to come.) Many of the volunteers as well as several staff members at the Home Base have pitched in, and after many days searching for healthy, cheap chicks (people keep trying to charge extra because Ed is a mzungu, and there’s a lot of “he-said, she-said” about who currently possess chickens for sale), and only a few days of construction, the coop is now finished!

In case you were wondering, I insisted that the chick I sponsored be named Chuck. Or Joe.