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Digging a new fish pond at the Goducate Children’s Home, Cambodia

The children at the Goducate Children’s Home in Cambodia are busy digging their newest and largest fish pond. It will be three times as as large as any of the existing ponds. The children are working on it in the afternoons after their formal classes. They hope to get the pond done before the rainy season starts in June.

This new pond is intended for white pinkish tilapia, which are larger and more expensive than the black ones being reared in the existing ponds. We hope to start with 100 fish.

Fish rearing has been introduced at the Home not only to provide food for the children but also for the market. It is part of the livelihood training program and a means of helping the Home become self-sustainable one day. These aims are in keeping with Goducate’s mission to help the needy help themselves and with its desire that its projects should work towards sustainability.

Digging new fish pond
An existing fish pond
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Fish ponds at Goducate Children’s Home in Cambodia teeming with tilapia

It has been 2 weeks now since the two ponds dug by the children have been filled with water. The happiness and the sense of fulfillment among the children was undeniable.

80 tilapia were put into the pond. Some of the female ones were pregnant at the time. Now there are hundreds, if not thousands. The multiplication indicates that the environment—such the weather and the water—are suitable for the fish. At feeding time the entire pond seems to be filled with fish. We hope that the ponds will go some way towards making the Children’s Home self-sustainable.

Thje pond is maintained by several of the older children working under the supervision of the home’s administrator.

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Goducate Children’s Home in Cambodia prepares to rear goats and chickens

Tilapia raising is not the only livelihood project that the Goducate Children’s Home is embarking upon. Goat raising is also a good livelihood project. Different species of goats have to be raised for different purposes. Although we would like to raise various species, we are at present focusing on producing organic-meat goats.

To maintain success with this project, we have started seeding various kinds of legumes, to be able to provide the animals with a complete plant food. In about a year’s time we will buy several female goats and one male.

Chicken rearing is quite a difficult project that requires more care and monetary investment. However, our administrator’s experience with poultry has encouraged us to start breeding chickens as egg layers and as meat for sale.