Voices for Chickens

Tanzania is home to millions of chickens who are central to family income and food security, yet their welfare is often overlooked. Many live in poor housing, are handled roughly, and are slaughtered without consideration for pain or fear. Voices for Chickens is a pilot project with students from the Livestock Training Agency (LITA) in Arusha. Together, we will explore what chickens feel, how they are treated in everyday life, and which simple changes could make their lives kinder. This project, funded by The Pollination Project, focuses on animal welfare and empathy, not on promoting animal farming or the use of animal products.

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

When we spoke with a young agricultural student in Arusha and asked what he thought about the chickens he cared for, he simply replied:

“I’ve never thought about what they feel. They are just there.”

This wasn’t cruelty, but a lack of awareness that chickens are living, feeling beings. Agricultural education often talks about productivity and profit, but rarely about emotions, stress, or suffering.

With Voices for Chickens, we want to open that conversation: helping future farmers and livestock officers see chickens not only as “resources”, but as sentient animals deserving of care.

WHAT WE ARE DOING

Working with LITA (Livestock Training Agency), we plan to:

  • Introduce chicken welfare and empathy
     Short, interactive sessions on what chickens need to stay healthy and avoid suffering.

  • Encourage real-life observation
     Students will look at how chickens are kept and handled in their surroundings (homes, small farms, markets) and identify simple ways to reduce stress and pain.

  • Support creative awareness-raising
     In small groups, students will turn their ideas into posters, talks, songs, skits or photo displays to share with classmates and community members.

This first edition is a pilot, designed to be small, flexible, and easy to repeat in other schools if successful.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Your support will help us launch and grow this pilot. You can:

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