Our factory in Egypt is always implementing new projects and programs for the communities of workers and people residing on and around the farm. It’s one of the many reasons we’re proud to make all of our products there, and why I love visiting Egypt so much. Most recently, Konstanze, the owner and factory manager, started a fun project with two of her four grandkids— Noah, who’s seven years old, and Suhaila, who’s five, to start a chicken coop.
Their families live both on the farm near the factory, as well as about an hour away in the city of Cairo. While Noah and Suhaila split their time between their two homes, they spend the majority of their time on the farm. Having raised chickens on their rooftop in the city for quite some time now, they’ve become quite the little experts.
Konstanze thought that it would be a great summer project to make a new chicken coop in the garden on the farm, which she admittedly shared was so that the kids could get more practice taking care of the chickens, and more importantly, so they could collect fresh eggs for their grandma everyday.
Konstanze and her grandkids took some wood remnants from an old rabbit coop, as well as from the local wood workshop, and designed a new home where the chickens could stay safely during the night. The kids found their first egg on the first evening! They’re having a ton of fun with their new chickens and seeing how much work goes into getting just one egg has given them a new found appreciation for it.
Chicken Coop 1.0
Whenever I visit Egypt, I always get eggs from the farm like many of the other workers, and now I can’t wait to get my first batch from Noah and Suhaila!
Suhaila, Noah, and their friend Yaseen visiting the chickens
Just I was getting ready to share this new project, I received a phone call from Konstanze who had bad news to give me about the chickens. Some wild dogs had gotten onto the farm in the middle of the night and carried away 2 of the 3 beloved chickens of Noah and Suhaila!
So the work began again.
With some serious thought and brain storming, Konstanze and the kids decided that the safest place for the chickens would be in the Bastana garden next to the school. So they dismantled the broken coop, got some stronger and thicker screen and started building again. With the new design they had in mind, there was no possibility that wild dogs could break in. The new coop was perfect and has been good so far! Noah and Suhaila check in on them first thing every morning to make sure they are safe and sound… and of course to take their prized eggs for grandma Konstanze every morning.
A great ending but really the beginning.