Roots of Renewal: Pig Farming for Vulnerable Families in Homabay

In Homabay County, along the shores of Lake Victoria in western Kenya, many families live in deep poverty, struggling to afford food, school fees, and basic necessities. Decades of high HIV/AIDS prevalence in the region have also left many households headed by widows, grandparents, or young people caring for younger siblings, often with little income and few paths toward economic stability.

Maryknoll is helping vulnerable families build sustainable livelihoods through small-scale pig farming. Participants receive piglets, feed, and basic supplies, along with training in animal husbandry and access to veterinary support that keeps their herds healthy. As the pigs mature and reproduce, families can sell offspring for income or expand their own herds, turning a modest start into an ongoing source of revenue rather than a one-time benefit.

This project reflects the Catholic Social Teaching principle of the Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, directing resources first to those with the least power to secure their own future, and the Dignity of Work, which holds that every person has a right to productive labor that provides for a family. It also carries forward the Maryknoll charism of living among the poor and equipping them, not merely relieving them, so that dignity and self-reliance grow together.

Gifts to this project provide piglets, feed, veterinary care, and hands-on training that help families move from a cycle of poverty toward lasting self-sufficiency, while strengthening the wider community around them.