WESTERN BUREAU:

The Kiwanis Club of Westmoreland Capital has spent about $600,000 to build a chicken coop at the Clifton Boys’ Home in Darliston, which it hopes will enhance life skills and experience in business management in the agriculture industry for the young men.

Dr Tracey Brown Coote, president of the Savanna-la-Mar-based Kiwanis Clubs of Westmoreland Capital, said the initiative to build the poultry coop took place on Labour Day and was done in collaboration with Grace Food Processors and the Key Club of the Manning’s School.

She noted that the new coop can accommodate up to 120 chickens at a time.

“This was the first stage of the sponsored chicken-rearing programme to commence at the home. The project will also include the provision of 100 chickens and adequate feed for the life span of the chickens, to start the programme,” Brown Coote added.

Furthermore, the Kiwanis Club of Westmoreland Capital president stated that the youngsters are being trained so they will benefit in several ways.

“The project will not only provide financial and nutritional benefits, but the boys will also develop life skills in areas such as accountability and teamwork,” Brown Coote told The Gleaner.

Vincent Guthrie, chairman of the home, said that the project by the Kiwanians and others is an idea that is well thought out and fits within their programme of development.

“Poultry rearing fits well into the experience that we are trying to give our boys,” Guthrie said in an interview with The Gleaner last Thursday.

“The project comes at a time when we are in the process of giving our boys experiences that will last a lifetime,” he said. “It is now in the hands of the boys to care for these birds and learn new skills as they go along.”

One of three children’s homes run by the Anglican Church in Jamaica, Clifton Boys’ Home was founded in 1961 and is a private facility licensed for a capacity of 35 boys from age seven to 18 years. After a fire in January 2017 forced 28 boys to leave the building, it was rebuilt in 2020.