The Piggery
An IGA project of Faith Community Pilgrim Wesleyan Church
Sustainability
About six months ago, Faith Community PWC launched its income generation activity (IGA) – a piggery. Their goal: to build upon existing skills of their church members to generate long-term, sustainable profit to provide funds for vital ministries, such as efforts supporting orphaned and vulnerable children in their community.
The church combined funding from Forgotten Voices along with dedicated contributions from its members to build a divided stone structure (17 x 8 meters) that will hold as many as 150 pigs at a time.
Initially, the church purchased 5 sows and 1 boar. Of the 27 piglets from the first litters, the church hopes to sell the majority of them this spring. They will be sold for meat by the pound and all preparations for sale will take place on the farm. The remaining sows will hopefully yield 50-60 new piglets, putting the church on track to cover all start-up costs and to start generating a profit by later this year.
Their piggery is located on farmland owned by the church’s pastor, Hachoose Hamuchele, about 10 kilometers outside of Livingstone, Zambia. In addition to sharing space for the piggery, Pastor Hachoose’s family uses this farm for their own personal farming activities, including raising turkeys, ducks, chickens, cows, and goats.
Water
The church also used contributed funds to drill a borehole that will provide clean, running water for farm operations. To reach a clean water source, the well was drilled to a depth of 60 meters, at a cost of approximately $3,700.
On a recent visit, Forgotten Voices staff toured the church’s piggery project, and met Elder Winston, who oversees men’s ministries at the church, and Mr. Sira Muleya, an active member at Faith Community PWC, who serves as the project coordinator. Mr. Muleya brings several years of experience operating a successful piggery nearby, and lends his expertise to guide the project’s paid caretakers and volunteers.
To read more about Forgotten Voices IGA projects and how they empower churches and caregivers,visit ForgottenVoices.org/IGAs