Sheila Ommeh is a PhD fellow at the International Livestock Research Institute, based in Nairobi, Kenya. This young animal geneticist is passionate about poultry. Sheila hopes to introduce a disease-resistant chicken using indigenous breeds that can be easily produced by women farmers.

Sheila understands the importance of poultry farming in the livelihoods of the rural poor. Seventy-six percent of all Kenyan rural households are engaged in some kind of poultry rearing. Her mother and grandmother raised chickens to support the family’s children. But disease prevalence was high and the flock was wiped out on occasion. When the chickens died, money for food and school fees was in short supply. Sheila grew up determined to help find a solution.

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