For a group of women in rural Kisumu, Kenya, five chickens became more than livestock. They became a lesson in seeing possibility in what God has already provided.

Kelvin Otieno of Better ME Kenya, a Crown Alliance Partner, began investing intentionally in women whose families face significant financial challenges. Many are raising large families while their husbands struggle to find steady employment.

His program combines farming, entrepreneurship, and the African Money Map to help women recognize the resources and opportunities already in their hands.

What began with seven women has grown to include a second group of 12, and the women are now operating small businesses and learning to save and invest.

Last year, their savings group enabled each woman to purchase five chickens. Kelvin then challenged them to make an inventory of all the opportunities those chickens represented. Some saw them as a form of savings. Others saw the beginnings of a business.

Kelvin’s goal isn’t simply to create more groups. He wants to invest deeply in these women so they can eventually mentor others and pass along what they have learned.

And the impact is already reaching the next generation. Every Saturday, Kelvin spends time with 35 of their children, using arts and crafts and Bible stories to help them know and love the Lord.

Five chickens may seem like a small beginning. But when people learn to recognize and faithfully steward what God has already placed in their hands, small beginnings can become something much greater.