3000+ Chickens and a Vegetarian Farmer
We started off early this morning for Lusaka, where the poultry farm that Hope Ministries started is located. The farm was launched with capital from Spark Ventures, and its profits will be reinvested in Hope’s school and orphanage. It was a long drive, about five hours, but it was well worth it to see the result of nearly two years of planning, building and construction.
We had a brief pit stop at a fee-paying toilet and Hungry Lion, a fried chicken chain here that has possibly the most delicious fries ever, and we managed to make it to Lusaka in the early afternoon. We got a thorough tour from Charles and Mr. Tembo, the amazing farm manager who is so dedicated to his work with the chickens that he actually sleeps in a small, closed-off section of the chicken house while the chicks are growing. He even revealed that he himself is a vegetarian, which was not too surprising when you see how Mr. Tembo truly loves and cares for his brood.
It was so fortunate we came when we did because we got to see some full-grown chickens that are ready to head to market and the 3000 two-day-old chickens that just arrived yesterday for the next cycle. The Hope staff even had a small, informal dedication ceremony for the farm, and it felt wonderful to be a part of the start of what we hope will be something great that, as Charles said, “will last beyond each of us.”
We then checked into our hotel and had a brief rest before going out to dinner with Hope’s board of directors and some people who have been instrumental in the launch and success of the farm. It’s now morning on Saturday, and we’re getting ready to head to Livingstone for our visit to Victoria Falls. It will be sad to say goodbye to many of the Hope staff today, but we’re excited for the final couple days of our trip and a chance to see the beauty of Zambia and Botswana!