"Can a chicken change the world?"
It's an intriguing question. It appeared on a minimalist poster board outside the elevator on the 68th floor of 4 World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan on June 8, 2016.
Billionaire tech CEO and philanthropist Bill Gates was standing in a chicken coop. The chickens are part of his latest initiative: Coop Dreams.
Started by Heifer International, Coop Dreams is now supported by Gates, who is donating 100,000 chickens to extremely impoverished communities all over the world.
Livestock — in this case chickens — is a gift that keeps on giving, Gates says. Chickens are an economic opportunity that literally multiplies itself and can help lift people out of poverty.
A Coop Dreams starter kit includes a rooster and severalhens.
Within a year, farmers can have hundreds of egg-laying chickens. They can eat the chickens, eat the eggs, or sell the chickens in nearby cities for around $5 U.S. They can then use the money to buy food, medicine, or anything else they need.
The chickens are gifted to small, independent farmers for their own benefit, not major farms that stimulate the country-wide economy.
(Photo by Jon Comulada/Upworthy)
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