Farming a New Future
The chickens didn’t transform Thabisile’s life, she did.
Thabisile Shongwe is a 29-year-old accomplished farmer, wife, mother of two, and a Poultry Training School graduate. The training was provided by our partner AfricaWorks in Eswatini in an effort to invest in farmers and sustainable rural agriculture.
With the help of a loan, Thabisile started her own poultry farm which has maintained consistent profitability even in a challenging economic environment.
So far she has completed nine six-week cycles of chicken production—and nothing from the farm goes to waste. Thabisile uses the chicken manure as fertilizer, which has increased her farm’s yields drastically.
Throughout the process Thabisile has received encouragement from her mother-in-law Ncobile, also a member of AfricaWorks, as well as from her husband Zweli.
Thabisile and Zweli have used the proceeds 
from the poultry farm to transform their lives. In addition to being able to support their two young sons and cover daily expenses, they have also been able to build a home.
Thabisile is grateful for her progress, yet continues to dream for the future. She hopes to finish constructing her family’s new home, diversify her farm with vegetable production, and even learn to weave!
Thabisile and Zweli’s story embodies the purpose of Partners Worldwide. We exist to amplify the work of locally-led institutions, like AfricaWorks in Eswatini, that equip individuals to lift themselves out of poverty. In doing so, they have the ability to pursue their dreams, support their families, and benefit local economies and communities.
We are inspired by Thabisile and hope that with your help we are able to serve thousands more like her next year. Please join us in pursuing a world without poverty with a special year-end gift.
December 14, 2016