Khal Bibi is a 28-year-old woman who lives in Hamdard village, in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province with her eight family members; her husband, her 5 sons, and a daughter. Khal Bibi joined the project “Supporting an Inclusive Poultry Value Chain Project in Balkh province. ” She attended poultry farming training to learn the skills and launch her poultry farm.
As a beginning phase, she started the poultry training classes and, after receiving the poultry toolkit and layer chickens, she started her work on the farm. She says: “In the beginning, I thought farming would be very difficult, but when I started according to the direction and guidance of my trainer and the content of the poultry manual taught in the class by the trainer, I got that; no, the poultry is the swiftest type of farming for a household.”
The poultry farm brings major changes in her life as Khal Bibi says: “Though it’s the beginning of the story for me, it feels like a miracle. My fourth son Omar is suffering from a heart hole since birth, and we found out about it three years ago. The doctors told us to take care of him and try to prepare a good diet plan for him but we couldn’t do that at all, because of the bad economic situation. Not only that, we even could not take him to the doctor and buy his medicines on time. My husband is selling electronic items like; plugs, wires, and switches. Someday he cannot buy enough bread for the family. Last month, I felt happy and comfortable because I could take my son to the doctor and purchase his medicine as well. With the money I got from selling eggs, my poultry farm bloomed the hope in my soul.”
However, it’s the beginning of her farm link almost one month but she gained some financial interest from her work and she spends to fulfill their needs as she says: “I am collecting 14-16 eggs daily from the farm and around 30 eggs in two days so, I am selling these all to people around in the neighborhood and the small market of our town. Till now I earned AFN 1,600 which I spend on Omar’s drugs, and AFN 400 I spend on chicken feed and bought some Limon and vegetables. I also spend some money to buy stationery for my children to do their studies”.
Khal Bibi wants to increase the number of chickens on her farm. She wants to increase it to 40 chickens in the first step and 50 in the second. She is waiting for the season to implement her plan.
Khal Bibi Says: “Misery is a misfortune and I am eagerly looking for the farm to make us lucky. As of now, I get good results and I want to improve day by day. I am doing my best to make it happen. My son’s needs and my children’s expectations of me as a mother encourage me to provide all they need as a kid and teenager so, I am taking care of the chicken and trying to manage it in the best way, may Allah help us more.”