Utukufu Has Gone Kuku (with a New Perspective)

Kuku in Swahili means chicken.

From a daladala excursion, through the valley of death, down the cliff, across the river, up the mountain, through the maze of maize to the village of Mkonoo, home to the Utukufu Support Group. Utukufu means glory in Swahili. It is a group of HIV positive women that was organized a few years previous. They are of the traditional Maasai tribe and they meet together twice a week to share each other’s company and to create traditional Maasai beaded jewelry. The proceeds they earn from selling their jewelry helps pay for any medication they might need for their health issues. Because they live in a low income village and are located far away from town, they are unable to sell their products to a larger audience. So, unfortunately they only end up selling their products to the HELP volunteers that come to Tanzania every summer.

A plan was constructed to help them generate more income to provide for their needs – a chicken coop! We wanted to help them build a chicken coop and provide them with some chickens to get them started. Then they will hopefully be able to make a profit from selling the eggs and eventually  the chickens themselves once a large enough population is reached.

This month long project began with weeks of negotiating the prices of the materials and working with people that were about to receive more money than they probably ever would in their lifetime. And yet, they were still always trying to milk us for all we’ve got. Despite poor calculations, misunderstandings, the language barrier and choppy translations, we were able to acquire the necessary materials to begin building the chicken palace and courtyard.

Our team assembled. After breaking ground in concrete-like, dry dirt, digging fence post holes with machetes, going through two broken saws and two hammers, avoiding swollen fingers from hammering, and planking on an unfinished roof, we were able to accomplish the task at hand. It was a glorious sight. A coop fit for a kingdom of eager chickens.

                

The final step to completing this project was to furnish the chicken coop with the chickens themselves. We ordered twenty chickens and they were delivered to us in a plastic crate strapped to the back of a pikipiki (motorcycle). By U.S. standards this plastic crate looked like it should have transported maybe five chickens. Once unleashed from their cage, we found that three of the chickens had suffocated on the trip and one had a broken leg. Tanzanians can be very resourceful, but sometimes at a price.

               

The chickens were finally able to roam free in their new home. Even on the first day with the new arrivals, the Utukufu Group received an unexpected gift from the money-making birds. Two eggs had been born as a token of their acceptance into their new family. A new income-generating source was left in the hands of an HIV+ group of Maasai women to help them prolong their lives and improve the quality thereof.

Perspective from Gregg Lines, a first wave volunteer.

My time in Africa was not what I expected…but then again, I wasn't sure what to expect anyway. Originally, my plan was to do clinics teaching HIV awareness and prevention; however, after our initial search for partners and teaching opportunities, I decided that I'd adapt and focus on a project that I could delve into 100%. Goodluck (our in country partner) introduced us to the ladies of the Utukufu group to learn about their lifestyles, challenges, and culture. They taught us how to make Maasai bead jewelry and to dance à la Maasai. After meeting them, I really wanted to get involved, but I wasn't sure how. All of the women of this group are HIV positive, and so I felt like my background and research could be used to some degree. However, after spending more time with them and getting to know them, I realized that they were already well educated about HIV, medications, and safety. So, we looked at taking the group a step further…to being a support group and a collective effort to gain greater financial independence. These women lived and worked in a rural village that was about 45 min by dala dala (mini bus) and then another 45 minute hike (down a cliff and across a river)! Getting into town was not easy, and many had struggled to find work because of their HIV status. 

To begin, we helped the group leaders, Goodluck and Pastor Joseph learn basic bookkeeping and accountability. The group was only loosely organized when we arrived, but with some basic accounting and business lessons (offered by my good friend, Jeff) they better understood the importance of keeping records and showing their accountability. We helped organize the group to insure that each woman could sell bead products to help meet her health and family expenses. Additionally, the group decided to give 10% to a group fund. This group fund helps to pay for the women if they are sick and cannot work or if the group wants to invest in another project.

One project that the group wanted to work on was beginning a chicken coop. The women wanted to sell the eggs and chickens as another way to improve their financial independence and to provide for the group fund. Despite numerous efforts, we couldn't' get all of the needed materials within the timeframe we needed, so I left with this project unfinished (well, not yet started to be more accurate). I was glad to see the progress made on construction as other volunteers posted their photos to Facebook.