Thank you for supporting us, so we can support people like Salai. Your purchase helped fund a microloan to help a refugee owned farm to table agri business build its fresh egg operation.
Salai's Story
My name is Salai, and I was born in Chin land, Myanmar. Due to the longest civil war in Myanmar, I fled to Malaysia before ultimately arriving in the United States as a refugee in 2009.
Upon settling in the U.S., I took classes at Houston Community College, which laid the foundation for a career dedicated to helping others. From 2013 to 2015, I worked as a Resettlement Case Manager at Refugee Services of Texas and YMCA International Services. In this role, I assisted new refugee families in the Greater Houston Area, helping them to become self-sufficient and integrate into their new environment.
I currently work as a sushi chef along with my agricultural work, and I am very active in my church. Helping people live a good life and making the world a better place are my favorite things to do.
The business I am building is a small-scale poultry farming operation called Sweet Harvest Farm located on Greenlife Forever Farm in Richmond, Texas. Greenlife is partnering with me on this endeavor by providing the land for free. The focus is on raising chickens and ducks to produce fresh eggs which will serve and support the local community. The business will operate with a strong commitment to quality, sustainability, and community involvement.
Our goal is to provide fresh farmed chicken and duck eggs, chickens for meat (as permitted by local regulations), and affordable, locally sourced poultry products. Sweet Harvest Farm’s primary customers will be families, friends, neighbors, and community members in the Houston area who are seeking fresh, locally raised poultry products. We will sell at farmers markets and do direct sales.
The farm has started with a small number of chickens, and we’d like to build the flock a little more while managing costs and ensuring quality care. Chickens will be raised in a clean, safe environment with proper housing, nutrition, and health practices. The operation will grow gradually based on demand and available resources.
We have received advising from the nonprofit Plant It Forward Farms to help us build our egg operation.
This microloan will support the growth of my small agricultural business by funding the construction of well-ventilated chicken coops. Loan funds will be used to purchase lumber, hardware, cloth, roofing panels, nesting boxes, roosting bars, and secure fencing, as well as feeders and automatic waterers to improve daily flock care.
By expanding and improving the chicken housing system, I will be able to increase my laying flock, improve animal welfare, and produce a more consistent supply of fresh eggs for local customers and farmers markets. In the long term, this investment will strengthen farm sustainability, reduce losses from predators and weather, and create a stable source of farm income while supporting healthy, humanely raised chickens.
