Pigsties have been built in the villages of Chitemo and Nyhinila to specifications set out by the Animal Research Institute where we funded the training of 5 villagers in animal husbandry specifically pig breeding. We visited the Research Centre during our October visit to organise the purchase of piglets for the villages. 4 sows and one boar for each village. The numbers being kept small until those maintaining the pigs felt confident. The piglets were to be delivered in November when they were able to leave the sow. Unfortunately they died. This was very disappointing but the good news is that piglets will hopefully be born in March and then delivered to the villages in May. We shall have to wait until the piglets are 6 months old (July 2017) before they can be serviced and the gestation takes 4 month before piglets are born. This has put the project back by a few months but we realise that this is a long term project and we need to be patient. If all goes well we should have our first piglets in November. In time the sale of piglets will produce funds that will enable the villages to maintain their schools, pay the teachers and importantly become independent and self supporting. Until the villages are able to do this SEEDS will continue to maintain the schools and pay the teachers.
We are returning in June and hopefully we shall see piglets homed in the villages and the start of the project.
Pigsties in the process of being built October 2016
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