Project Launch: 2-9-18

CHIDA is a self-help group of women living with HIV/AIDS. Its members face the challenges of severe poverty, food insecurity, and severe malnutrition which frequently accelerate HIV infection progression to AIDS and often death. The situation is exacerbated by lack of employment, underpromoted entrepreneurial skills, and lack of access to the basic financial services like loans which would enable CHIDA to establish new entrepreneurial ventures or improve existing ones, both fo which would increase household income and result in positive life outcomes.

To respond the disadvantages facing its members, CHIDA raised some capital and started indoor mushroom cultivation to increase their income. However, they lack appropriate knowledge and skills in indoor mushroom growing. This project will support CHIDA by training and teaching them modern techniques and skills for indoor mushroom cultivation and improve their existing facility to acceptable standards for mushroom growing.

Project Update: 6-21-18

22 women have been trained in mushroom growing techniques and the mushroom shed has been rehabilitated in order to facilitate the first growing cycle.

Final Report: 11-19-18

The project managed to train the 22 women in indoor mushroom cultivation techniques and skills. The skills acquired have helped them improve their mushroom production as originally planned. The surveys conducted at project end indicate that all the 22 women have used their knowledge and skills to improved their indoor mushroom production and are reporting to have increased their household income.