How a Chicken Project Can Change a Community

In Kiryandongo refugee settlement in Uganda, there is a pastor named Thomas.

He didn’t begin with chickens. He began with people.

Much of his time is spent walking alongside families in the camp. He listens to their stories, prays with them, teaches from Scripture, and sits with them through challenges that don’t have easy answers. Like many in the settlement, he is also a refugee, so the struggles people bring to him are not unfamiliar.

Over the years, he has planted three churches. People come to him for guidance, encouragement, and prayer. But alongside those conversations is another question that comes up often, sometimes quietly, sometimes directly.

How will we eat tomorrow?

That question doesn’t disappear. It lingers in conversations and shows up in daily life, both for the families he serves and for his own.

Caring for people spiritually while knowing their physical needs are just as urgent. At some point, the question began to shift. Instead of asking only how to respond in the moment, Pastor Thomas began to wonder what it would look like for families to provide for themselves in a steady way.

Not something complicated or difficult to maintain, but something practical. Something that could grow.

That is how the chicken project began.

It wasn’t introduced from the outside. It came from paying attention to the realities of the community and working from there.

Chickens made sense in this context. They require relatively little space, they reproduce quickly, and they provide both food and a source of income. For families in a refugee settlement, that combination matters.

Before the project started, there were a few things that needed to be prepared. A coop had to be built, and feed and medication had to be secured.

Water was also a challenge, so a well was built. At first, it was meant to support the chickens. Over time, it became something more. Families now come there each day to collect water. It has become a place where people gather, talk, and spend time together.

The first batch included 300 chickens. They were raised and eventually sold for food at a reasonable price. People in the camp began buying the chickens, roasting them, and selling them in the market. Small businesses started to take shape. Others found ways to earn and support their families.

What began as a single project gradually created opportunities for others. It is still a simple project. It hasn’t become complicated or difficult to manage. But it is steady, and that steadiness matters.

Pastor Thomas continues to do what he has always done. He pastors, disciples, and walks closely with people in the community.

Now, there is something alongside that work that helps support both his family and the people around him in a practical way.

Projects like this do not remove every challenge. Life in the settlement is still difficult, and needs are still present. However, there is a little more stability, and hope for what tomorrow could look like.

Sometimes, that is where change begins: when something simple continues to develop and grow.