Chickens and vegetable seeds improve nutrition and health in West Timor

Orance Nenoliu lives in Saenam village in West Timor, Indonesia, with her husband Yakobus Tualaka and their two children. With support from CWS, 33-year-old Orance is learning about home gardening and raising chickens so she and her family can have more food and a more diverse diet, which leads to improved health. CWS has partnered with Orance and others in her village to distribute vegetable seeds to families along with information about organic fertilizers to ensure that vegetables can thrive once they are planted.

Orance has also learned about the benefits of keeping her chickens in a coop, which her husband built with advice and help from CWS team members. “We used to let the chickens roam free,” explains Orance, “and sometimes they were stolen or contracted diseases that killed them. Some were eaten by wild animals. I really like the idea of putting the chickens in their coop at night to keep them safe.”

“I also am glad we know more about how to keep our chickens healthy so they grow better. When my husband built the coop in March, he also learned about vaccinations and how to properly feed the chickens,” Orance told us. “Now I hope that growing vegetables and raising more, healthier chickens will also help improve our children’s health because we can feed them more nutritious foods.”