CAR chickens

Strengthening Finances in Central African Republic

Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS

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Judith Koumangou loves chickens.  

In Bossemptélé in the northwest of the Central African Republic, Judith sits outside her home with her baby in her lap and tosses small handfuls of peanuts to the ground below. A flurry of flapping wings and clucking ensues. It’s afternoon snack time for Sandra, Benedicte, Pierre, Jean, Esther, Naomie, Timothée, Joseph and Benoit.

 

woman feeding chickens in Central African Republic

Judith Koumangou feeds her chicken family at her home in the northwest of the Central African Republic.

Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS

 

“Why chickens?” she asks, laughing. “I naturally love chickens. I just love them. I wasn’t trained to raise them. I just know. They are my business, my livelihood but also my family. I love them.” 

In December 2023, Judith joined a Savings and Internal Lending Community, or SILC group, called Gui Si Mon Wara, which means “seek and you shall find” in the local Sango language. Through her group, Judith received a loan to increase her flock—she now has nine chickens.

With funding from U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Catholic Relief Services and local partner All for Peace and Dignity are working to help families increase their incomes and become less reliant on aid thorugh the I Londo I Mai: Reinforcing Resilience in the Central African Republic project. Ten years after violent conflict destroyed homes, businesses, animals and crops, many people are still struggling to recover their livelihoods. And in an area where access to bank loans is nearly impossible, it is often hard to rebuild or scale up income-generating activities. SILC groups give members a safe space to save and borrow money.  

“Before SILC, I would buy one chicken and then sell one chicken and buy another chicken and sell that chicken,” Judith recalls. “It was one-by-one because that’s all I could pay for.” 

Judith says she also had trouble managing her money—always spending it here and there instead of saving for something bigger. She says that when she heard about SILC, she was eager to join. 

 

woman holds chicken in Central African Republic

Judith Koumangou holds one of her nine chickens, Pierre. She was able to purchase the chickens thanks to a loan from her savings group.

Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS

 

Today, Judith understands budgeting, money management and investing for the future. Each week, she contributes around $3 to the group's savings fund. At the end of the last cycle when they shared the money, Judith received $150—an amount she never dreamed of having at one time. She spent half to buy chicks and the rest on school fees and other household necessities.  

“If it wasn’t for SILC, I never would have my chickens right now. I would have wasted the money,” she says. “I also used a small loan to buy materials to make soap, which adds to the profit.” 

Right now Judith uses their eggs to eat and sell at the local market, but estimates that in a few months when they mature, she can sell them each for about $8 profit.  

“I actually will be quite sad to separate from them when I sell them,” she says, stroking Pierre. “Every time I see them grow, it brings me joy. But the profit will help buy more chicks to raise and further provide for my family's needs.” 

 

I Londo I Mai is a 24-month project that began in June 2023 and will run through May 2025. The project is funded by USAID/BHA, implemented by Catholic Relief Services with our local partner All for Peace and Dignity.  The project aims to strengthen the capacity of vulnerable and conflict-affected families and improve their economic resilience, particularly in the sub-prefectures of Bouar, Bossemptélé and Bozoum in the northwest of the Central African Republic.     

To achieve this goal, the project conducted three in-kind food distributions to families affected by conflict and included a cash transfer for nutrient-rich products, the distribution of seeds and farming tools, and training on agricultural practices to improve agricultural production.     

In addition to ensuring access to food, the project also facilitated the creation and support of Savings and Internal Lending Communities groups. It included training on developing business plans for young entrepreneurs and sanctioned cash grants for start-ups to improve paricipants’ economic recovery. More than 19,000 people benefited from the ILIM project in 2024.    

 

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