Celso resides with his parents and 11 siblings in the rural village of Los Milagros. He has always been actively involved in his community and his family has a deep respect for education. Celso sought to develop a project that would benefit area children and provide families with an opportunity to send their children to school. He spent 5 months traveling to villages and interviewing families to identify how to best assist families in educating their children. It soon became evident that providing pigs to families would be the project’s goal.

Kat Kirsch visited Waslala in 2001 as part of a humanitarian project after her church had raised money to build schools in the area. She had always been interested in child labor and human rights and decided to get first-hand knowledge on the conditions in a Third World country. She spent two weeks visiting schools and communities – she brought school and health kits that were donated by students, friends, family and individuals in New York, New Jersey and Canada and distributed them to the children of Wasala. She stayed in contact with the friends she met there and knew in her heart that one day she would return.

In 2004, she received a letter from Celso asking if she would be interested in helping to develop a project that would help children go to school by giving their families pigs. She readily agreed and began writing a detailed project plan and started collecting donations to help fund the project.

In September 2004, Kat traveled to Waslala to spend two months testing and initiating the project with Celso.

They developed a contract to ensure family participation and to empower the families. Kat and Celso also established a rapport with the village’s teacher and he joined with them in developing strategies to ensure that the families lived up to their commitment to educate their children.

Kat and Celso hiked through mountainous terrain, and initially they purchased 12 piglets. Along with the community members from the village, Cano el Zapote, they completed the purchasing and vaccinating of the pigs over a two day period. In a true sense of community, the piglets were housed overnight in the one room school house. When it came time to provide families with pigs, the parents agreed to the contract and signed it. Many could only make their mark, as many adults in rural areas cannot read or write. These parents were proud to be the first participants in this project and they were eager for their children to attend school.

Each family was given one month’s worth of feed and was required to build a pigpen and latrine within four weeks’ time. The pen would keep the pigs from wandering away and the latrine would help to avoid infection from pigs eating human waste.

Kat and Celso returned a few weeks later to monitor the families’ success with the pigs, to provide encouragement and to consult with the teacher. They were delighted to find that the program was working as the children were attending school and that the pigs were happy and healthy and growing rapidly. Most weighed about 12-18 pounds when first purchased and most weighed upwards of 30 pounds just two weeks later!

Celso bought 206 piglets in 2005 and many of the children who participated in the project then are currently attending high school. We continue to work with many families in Waslala to buy pigs and send their children to school.

Why Pigs?

• Pigs are hearty animals – they are highly resistant to disease and can adapt to most living conditions.
• Pigs can survive on damaged or decaying food not suitable for humans, thus do not take food away from the family.
• Pigs can breed anytime of year and usually have two litters a year. Each litter can yield up to 10 piglets.
• Piglets grow very quickly and can weigh up to 1,000 pounds!
• Pigs can be sold at the market and provide a protein-filled meal for the family. Most families survive solely on rice, beans and tortillas. Few have access to fruits and vegetables.
• Most families have little to eat and are malnourished. Pigs can be sold at the market and provide a protein-filled meal for the family. Most families survive solely on rice, beans and tortillas. Few have access to fruits and vegetables.
• The manure can be used to fertilize the family’s crops.
• Pigs for Kids ensures that the pigs are treated fairly and does not condone animal cruelty.