When Patience Nasande started her poultry business in 2024, she relied heavily on commercial feeds and medicines to keep her birds healthy. The costs were high, making it difficult for her business to grow. By the time she applied and joined the WeWork-green and decent jobs for youth project in December 2025, she already had a poultry house and had begun keeping chickens, but she felt there was still a lot to learn.

She attended the project’s five‑day residential bootcamp after hearing about it from a neighbour. “I accompanied my neighbour to collect her start‑up kit and that is when I learnt about the project. I decided to apply because I also wanted to improve my business,” she says. The WeWork project is implemented by Enabel in partnership with Ile de Paix and The Association of Rwenzori Community (RCA), with funding from the European Union and the Government of Belgium.

One of the biggest lessons Patience took from the bootcamp was how to reduce production costs. Instead of relying only on commercial medicines, she now treats her birds using medicinal herbs that she grows herself. “I used to spend a lot of money on medicines. Now I use herbs and they work very well,” she explains.

During follow‑up visits, extension workers from RCA learnt that feeds had become another major challenge. They introduced her to hydroponic fodder, Azolla, and maggot production, all of which have helped reduce feeding costs. Lamark Muhindo, a project officer, explains that Azolla is rich in protein and grows quickly on water. “A handful of Azolla placed in a pond, and it multiplies within a week. It can be fed to poultry, goats, cows and even fish,” he says. Today, Patience harvests Azolla every three days from a small pond on her father’s land and feeds it directly to her birds. She has also started producing maggots, which she mixes with poultry feeds to improve their nutritional value.

She believes the changes are already showing results. “Before, my birds used to lay white eggs. Now they lay eggs with yellow yolks because of the nutritious feeds,” she says. Patience currently has 32 birds, having sold part of her original flock to buy more feeds when supplies became scarce. She plans to restock soon and hopes to become one of the leading poultry farmers in her community. “I want to be among the best poultry producers in my area,” she says.

The training also introduced her to record keeping and business planning, skills she now applies in managing her poultry enterprise. Although she is not yet a member of a Village Savings and Loan Association, joining one is among her next priorities. If she receives the project’s UGX 1 million micro‑grant (€239), she plans to buy 100 chicks and more feeds to expand her business further. The micro‑grant is awarded after Ile de Paix carries out assessments during mentorship sessions to identify youth with strong potential to grow their businesses, with the evaluation and selection conducted by an independent firm to ensure transparency.

Alongside poultry, Patience grows eggplants, helping her earn additional income while building the poultry enterprise she hopes will continue growing in the years ahead.

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