Rebuilding Lives… With Chickens

When crisis strikes, you show up. But love demands that we continue to show up after the crisis to help people pick up the pieces and put their lives back together.

Only the people themselves can identify the best ways to do that. Our first job is to actively listen and collaboratively create ways to move them towards self-sufficiency.

This process worked beautifully when we showed up at one of the often-overlooked displacement camps in northern Iraq. The people we met made it clear that they were ready to rebuild through sustainable projects, rather than depending on aid.

One of the simple solutions we came up with together was… chickens.

Chickens provide a sustainable, daily dose of protein. They are an easily managed, reproducible resource. On top of all that, having animals around the home provides a fresh layer of life and joy to children and families.

When we returned to the camp with the chickens, families were ecstatic – laughing and celebrating as we handed out the birds.

save lives on the frontlines of war

Then we explained that the chickens were provided by people from around the world who cared about them—people like you—who had not forgotten about them and were committed to helping them rebuild their lives. The mood became sober as this knowledge sunk in, as they realized that they are not alone. That you are there with them and for them.

You continue to show up in the aftermath of their crisis. You help them put the pieces of their life back together with the simple gift of a chicken and everything it represents—self-sufficiency, hope, joy, normalcy, and provision.

This Christmas, give the gift of self-sufficiency and self-empowerment to a family that is trying to rebuild.

You can even make these families a part of your Christmas tradition. You could replace stocking stuffers for the adults in your life with the sweet, hand knit Christmas ornament that comes with every purchase of chickens for a displaced family. Or create a new tradition with your kids on Christmas Eve night by logging on and letting them choose a gift to give, rather than receive.

Crisis relief is an important part of what we do here at Preemptive Love, but our work doesn’t stop when the smoke clears. In fact, that is when the real work begins. Thank you for continuing to show up for these families by helping them rebuild their lives and regain their self-sufficiency.

Support displaced families as they rebuild after ISIS. Provide the gift of chickens today!