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With the power of chickens, this Topeka Girl Scout is helping bring Kenyan women out of poverty

Teen uses chickens to bring hope to Kenyan village

By Rafael Garcia
Topeka Capital-Journal
Feb 17 2022

Excerpt:

Aaliyah Smith always knew that for her Girl Scout Gold Award project, she wanted to make a difference in the lives of people who had lost hope, and that to do so, she’d have to go the extra mile.

She ended up going about 8,500 extra miles.

Through Smith’s coordination and leadership, the Community Poultry Project in Makueni County, Kenya, is helping single mothers deal with food insecurity and income inequality by providing them a source of income, and teaching and training them in business principles.

“In Girl Scouts, we’re taught how to give to communities that have forgotten hope and help increase their sense of self-esteem by creating opportunities they never thought would be possible,” said Smith, a junior at Topeka West. “I believe everyone deserves a second chance — that it’s up to us to find a way to help them, and Kenya is deserving of that opportunity.”

When she was planning her project, Smith’s family reached out to Ruben West, a family friend and corporate trainer who has done international work, for his help in identifying a more challenging project to put Smith’s Girl Scout knowledge and skills to the test.

Read the complete article here.