One Egg

The egg program in Masatepe is one of the most tangible and palatable forms of integrated community transformation we have seen in action. The concept is simple: one egg, one child. Research shows that children from 3-5 years of age who lack critical animal proteins in their diets, will simply not experience “normal” levels of cognitive development compared to children who do. One egg a day can change that.

We’ve partnered with OneEgg.org, Tyson Chicken, Elanco Animal Health, and many individuals to make sure every preschool-aged child in Masatepe eats an egg in the classroom through partnerships with local schools. This program provides eggs to preschools, who in turn provide fruit, rice and beans, and then organize parents to rotate cooking responsibilities from day-to-day to ensure each child in the classroom eats a holistic breakfast.

We had no idea how much this concept would resonate with our Nicaraguan staff and partners, many of whom went to school hungry as children. Hunger, and illness as a result of malnutrition, have stunted the learning and development of far too many in the developing world. This simple solution addresses it with today’s children, and empowers local volunteers to see the program through.

The financial model is one of sustainability - for every 1 donated egg, we sell 9 eggs. The 10% “cost” of giving away eggs is essentially what would otherwise be the “profit” of the small business. Once we set out to donate 250 eggs a day, we knew that meant we had to sell 2,250 eggs a day, which would require a flock of 2,500 hens.

To date, we have grown our flock to 1,000 birds and have plans to double to 2,000 birds in 2020. One Collective invested $42,000 in this initiative and since its inception it has generated over $70,000 in local revenue and has donated an astonishing 127,000 eggs to local children over a 4-year period! Getting eggs to kids is such a sweet and simple example of how to transform lives, and even an entire community, by the power of God.