Smart Layers Poultry Project

Charlie Young | Kenya

In September 2024, GO Campaign awarded Charlie Young a grant for the Smart Layers Poultry project to empower youth with skills in poultry farming to create employment for themselves and improve food security for their families and community. The project successfully benefitted 57 youth.

Charles Ombok Otieno—known widely as Charlie Young—is a young changemaker dedicated to combating joblessness among youth and women in Kenya. With a Diploma in General Agriculture from the Kenya National Youth Service, Charlie has combined his skills and passion for community service to launch a range of initiatives. From providing sanitary products to vulnerable girls through his “Sanitary Basket” program, to tree planting, food relief, and distributing school supplies, his work consistently uplifts those most in need.

With GO’s support, Charlie launched the Smart Layers Poultry project, a hands-on training program in poultry farming that:

• Trained 57 youth with practical skills to start their own poultry businesses.

• Increased community access to affordable, quality nutrition.

• Welcomed 1,000+ school children for learning visits.

• Boosted local farming yields by supplying manure.

• Created new income streams for young egg sellers.

One powerful story of impact is that of Chris Jayden, a 20-year-old from a rural village who once had no clear path toward self-sufficiency. After joining Charlie Young Foundation, Chris began working on the poultry project and eventually oversaw its construction. With his earnings as a caretaker—and a small startup boost—Chris started his own poultry project at home. Today, he sells eggs to his neighbors, earns an income, and is saving for further education to become a professional farmer.

The Smart Layers Poultry project demonstrates how grassroots initiatives, powered by youth leadership and supported by GO donors, can create lasting opportunities for employment, nutrition, and dignity.