Bill Gates is counting his chickens now that they've hatched — all 100,000 of them — and shipping the flock off to Africa where he says poor families can earn up to $1,000 a year raising them.
The billionaire founder of Microsoft and his wife, Melinda, are donating 100,000 vaccinated birds to parts of sub-Saharan Africa in a bid to improve the lives of the poor,
Ethan Harfenist writes on the news blog Vocativ.
Why chickens?
On his blog GatesNotes.com, Gates explains:
"If you were living on $2 a day, what would you do to improve your life?" he asked. "I would raise chickens. They are easy and inexpensive to take care of ... They're a good investment ... They help keep children healthy."
In addition, Gates said: "They empower women. Because chickens are small and typically stay close to home, many cultures regard them as a woman's animal, in contrast to larger livestock like goats or cows. Women who sell chickens are likely to reinvest the profits in their families."
He said a family starting with five hens can earn up to $1,000 per year, compared to the extreme poverty line of about $700 per year.
The Gates's effort is called: "Give a Flock."
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