Mount Olivet Boys’ Home Layers Project Brings Positive Results

The Mount Olivet Boys’ Home Layers Project, launched in August of this year, is now reaping positive results for the home and its residents.

The project, which was established to provide an income for the facility and participating boys, started from a donation of 100 layers from the animal and specialty feeding company, Nutramix.

In a recent interview with JIS News, Operations Officer of the Home, Yashi Williams, said the project is “doing very well”.

“We are now able to purchase our feed and to get our staff [and residents] compensated from the programme,” he said.

“Every month we are able to give the residents that assist with the programme a stipend, and we rotate. In the beginning, we had two regulars who would collect [eggs] and help to clean [the coops] and now we are on to another set,” he indicated.

Mr. Williams described the project as a character-building tool for the boys, who are eager to assist with the day-to-day tasks required to upkeep the layers.

“They are looking at what has to go into the care of the chickens, so they are getting the eggs… cleaning the chicken coops, getting the sawdust to spread, getting the water for the chickens [and] feeding the chickens,” he pointed out.

Mr. Williams said that the boys volunteer for the programme and are learning “responsibility, patience, and how to build better cooperative relationships among their peers”.

He also pointed out that positive business lessons are being learned and behavioural issues relating to street vending among some of the boys are being curtailed.

“The issues we’ve had in the past with truancy are really stemming from [some residents] going on the road to sell. So, now they are learning a more appropriate way of honing their business skills,” he pointed out.

Mr. Williams said with the Christmas season at its peak, there has been an increase in the demand for eggs and he is grateful for the team of boys who are on-board and willing to help.

The Home has since installed warm colour-temperature bulbs in the coops to combat the cold and provide a suitable reproduction environment for the layers.

Mr. Williams is grateful for the support for the project from other children’s homes, community members and neighbouring churches and is imploring other individuals and organisations to support the project by providing feeding or additional layers for the Home.

In addition to the layers project, Mr. Williams mentioned that the home is now awaiting the refurbishing of a greenhouse to bring in additional income for the facility and its residents.