28/07/2025
Luciaβs journey: from dependence to dignity through poultry farming
Routine monitoring visits under the Livelihoods and Inclusion for Transformation-Northen Kenya (LIFT-NK) project recently brought the DanChurchAid (DCA) team to the home of Lucia Lokidor, a soft-spoken yet determined woman living in Tarach, Turkana County.
Inside her modest compound sits a traditional Turkana manyatta, which serves as her home. Just beside it stands a poultry house. A few chickens rest under a shade, while others busily scratch the ground as chicken do. One thing stands out, they all look healthy and well-fed.
Lucia greets the team with a bright smile and excitement, eager to showcase the progress of her business. She walks up to one of the larger birds, gently lifts it up, and beams with pride. βThis one must be over three kilos,β she says. βIβll be selling it for about KES 2,500.β (approx $20) She laughs softly, but the pride in her eyes tells a bigger story.
Just a year ago, Lucia had no source of income. Like many women in her community, she relied fully on her husband for the familyβs needs. That changed in 2023 when she was selected as a participant in the LIFT-NK project, funded by IKEA Foundation and implemented in partnership with BOMA.ngo, Smart Regional Consultants - SRC and DanChurchAid Kenya.
As part of the program, Lucia received a starter kit that included 30 two-week-old chicks, materials to build a poultry shelter, feeders, drinkers, and three 50-kilogram sacks of poultry feed. That marked the beginning of her life-changing journey.
She also received training from DCA and continuous support through regular follow-ups. With guidance from the project team, she learned how to care for poultry, manage feed, and run a small business. She raised her first flock to maturity, sold some, and reinvested the income to restock.
Within a year, Lucia had built a thriving micro-enterprise. She began selling eggs within the community and live chickens for meat to the host community around Tarach and neighbouring areas. This success pushed her to expand. She raised the remaining chickens and bought more for breeding, all from her own savings. βWith the money I earned from selling eggs and chickens, I saved through our womenβs group and was able to buy more chickens,β she shares proudly.
Today, Lucia is raising forty chickens. She sells each egg at KES 15 and her chickens sell between Ksh. 1,500 and KES 2,500 depending on size and weight. βIβve managed to save more than KES 10,000 ($77) in one chama (savings group) and Ksh. 30,000 ($232) in another,β she says with a gleam in her eye. βIt means I can take care of my five children and contribute to our household livelihood.β
She recalls a moment when strong northern winds tore through her compound and destroyed her poultry house. Instead of giving up, Lucia dipped into her savings and rebuilt it herself, this time making it stronger, more spacious, and better suited for her growing flock.
But perhaps the most remarkable change is one you cannot measure in numbers. βIn our culture, women arenβt always respected. But now, even my husband listens to me. He values what I have to say. This business has changed how people see me. More importantly, itβs changed how I see myself.β
Luciaβs story is not just about raising chickens. It is about restoring dignity, promoting economic justice, and building confidence. It shows what is possible when development is done with people, not just for them.
At DanChurchAid, we believe in this kind of transformation, the kind that ripples outwards. The kind that turns one womanβs journey into a model for others and builds not only small businesses but also stronger communities, one poultry house at a time.
