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Newcastle disease is the leading cause of death and suffering among backyard poultry in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with periodic outbreaks wiping out 70 – 90% of unvaccinated flocks. In Rutshuru territory, North Kivu — an area heavily affected by displacement and conflict related collapse of veterinary infrastructure smallholder families who depend on poultry for food security and income have little to no access to preventive care, leaving their flocks perpetually vulnerable to painful, fatal outbreaks.
This project will train a cohort of community-based vaccinators to administer a low-cost, heat-stable Newcastle disease vaccine (requiring no cold chain) to flocks belonging to approximately 50–60 smallholder households. Each vaccination visit will be paired with a short training in humane handling practices to reduced stocking density, gentler catching and transport, and basic injury prevention building lasting welfare capacity beyond the vaccination campaign itself.
Reduce Newcastle disease mortality in vaccinated flocks by at least 60% compared to baseline outbreak losses within the project year.
Build lasting local capacity for disease prevention so protection doesn't end when the project does a trained vaccinator pool that can continue serving the community afterward.
Improve day-to-day welfare practices around handling, stocking density, and transport, independent of disease status.
Produce a replicable, evidence-backed model that could be scaled to other conflict-affected territories in North Kivu.
How we'll achieve them
1 Reduce mortality
Procure heat-stable I - 2 Newcastle disease vaccine (no cold chain required, which matters given unreliable power/infrastructure in Rutshuru). Vaccinate flocks across ~50–60 households in two rounds spaced to build immunity ahead of the seasonal outbreak window. Record baseline mortality data from each household before vaccination to allow direct before/after comparison.
2 Build local capacity
Recruit and train 4 – 6 community-based vaccinators (the barefoot vaccinator model used successfully in similar African smallholder programs) trusted local farmers taught to administer the vaccine correctly and safely. This keeps costs low and means the skill stays in the community after the funded period ends.
3 Improve handling practices
Pair every vaccination visit with a short, practical training session covering reduced stocking density, gentler catching and carrying techniques, and basic injury prevention during transport to market. Delivered household-by-household so it reaches people who wouldn't attend a centralized workshop.
4 Build a replicable model
Track outcomes systematically: mortality rates at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months; number of households vaccinated and trained; and a simple survey on whether handling practices are actually being adopted. Document costs per household and per bird protected, so the model's cost-effectiveness case can be used to pitch expansion to a second territory.
Scaling to $25,000 makes sense if the scope grows accordingly otherwise it just looks padded to reviewers who track cost-effectiveness closely. I've expanded the project to 150 households across two territories Rutshuru and Nyiragongo with a full 12-month M&E cycle, which justifies the increase and also gives you a stronger replicability case (two distinct locations, not just one).
JORDAN ELOGE IRENGE, Founder and Project Lead
Active in youth development, displaced population support, and reproductive health awareness in North Kivu. Brings direct program design and M&E experience, having independently developed full proposals to EA Animal Welfare Fund and Segal Family Foundation for poultry welfare and livelihoods programming in the same region.
The project will be implemented through existing volunteer network, coordinated directly by the Founder. This team has prior experience supporting the organization's ongoing community programming in Goma and surrounding areas, giving the project a ready base of locally embedded, trusted volunteers rather than staff who'd need to be recruited from scratch and a meaningful advantage in displacement-affected, trust-sensitive areas like Rutshuru and Nyiragongo.
Most Likely Causes of Failure
Security and access disruption in Rutshuru and Nyiragongo are both active conflict zones; renewed fighting, roadblocks, or displacement waves could make parts of the target area inaccessible mid-campaign, especially for the second vaccination round or later follow-up surveys.
Vaccine handling and cold chain gaps ; while the I-2 vaccine is heat stable and doesn't require refrigeration, poor storage, expired stock, or improper administration by newly trained vaccinators could reduce efficacy below the target 60% mortality reduction.
Low uptake or trust issues ; smallholder households may be skeptical of vaccination (fear of side effects, past bad experiences with outside interventions, rumors), leading to lower participation than the 150-household target, particularly in communities less familiar with Kind Roots' existing programming.
Likely Outcomes if it fails
Partial reach, full learning ;most probable failure mode: fewer than 150 households reached (e.g., 80–100) due to access or uptake issues, but usable mortality data from the households that were reached.
Data gap, no clear impact claim ; if baseline/follow-up surveys are inconsistent, the project may deliver services (vaccination, training) without being able to demonstrate impact credibly ;costly for future fundraising even if birds were genuinely helped.
Funder trust cost ; because Manifund proposals are public, a visibly underperforming project is seen by future donors evaluating Kind Roots' other asks (including EA AWF, Segal). This is the main reason to build in conservative targets rather than overpromise now.
Full failure (low probability) ; a security collapse severely restricting access to both territories for a sustained period, in which case funds would need to be redirected or returned per Manifund's terms — worth confirming their policy on this.
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