Pig farming for Tisamalane HIV Support group, using social enterprise to fight gender based violence and improving nutrition

About this Project

Tisamalane HIV Support will establish a pig farming business to boost their income to support their day to day needs including improved nutrition. Their grant funds will enable them to construct a pig pen, purchase 10 piglets, vaccinate the piglets, and have training on pig farming. The group intends to distribute a piglet to each family in future which can be used for individual income generation, while they use the remaining pigs for group income generation which will be used to help orphans and the elderly in the community.

Led by Sylvia Chiwaya, the Tisamalane HIV Support Group  successfully implemented an income generating project aimed at improving the livelihoods of people living with HIV/AIDS, enhancing nutrition, and reducing gender-based violence in Masitilo Village, Likuni Township, Lilongwe. With $4,901.96 in support from Mudzi Connect, the group identified suitable land and procured construction materials including quarry stones, cement, river sand, iron sheets, timber planks, wood, burglar bars, locks, and hinges. These materials were used to construct a three-room pig pen. In addition, the project purchased two piglets and two pregnant female pigs, as well as feed ingredients such as maize bran, soya, sunflower, and salt, which are used to prepare a nutritious feed mixture for the pigs. All 11 project members (including one man) received training in pig farming and business management, and veterinary drugs were procured to protect the pigs from diseases. The project has already started producing benefits, as members are using manure from the pig pen to fertilize their gardens, thereby improving agricultural productivity and food security within the community.