We’re sorry that it’s taken a while to get this post up. Since last Saturday, we’ve been busy visiting the seven families who were beneficiaries of the goat-raising income generation project we funded this year.  We’ve now visited all of the families; we’ve seen a baby goat named “Hope” and seven pregnant females. We’ve witnessed an epic chicken capture and received two chickens as gifts of appreciation. Best of all we’ve seen the beginning of the project’s effect on our partner communities and the areas in which there is still so much more to do.  

Throughout our campaign, we emphasized the tangible, personal impact that this project would have, and in these last few days, we’ve witnessed this impact ourselves.  First, we want to thank all of our donors who made our campaign so successful, far surpassing the project’s fundraising goal of $2,500. Thanks to GWED-G’s meticulous planning and implementation, every dollar you gave has brought these seven families closer to being able to pay school fees, afford medical care, purchase clothing, and have an adequate amount of nutritious food. As Pamela, the director of GWED-G, said to us, the income that the goats provide will bring these struggling families closer to accessing their human right to food, education, and health.

How can the gift of a few goats accomplish all of this?  

In our project, each family received at least 2 female goats and 1 male. Every family now has at least 1 pregnant goat, and a few of the females have already given birth.

 It turns out that goats and goat meat are very valuable.  Because the meat is considered tastier than beef or chicken, it is one of the most expensive on the local market. When the female goats reproduce, the offspring or meat can be sold for between 50,000 and 100,000 Ugandan shillings. To put that in perspective:

Consultation with a doctor at a private hospital: 5,000 shillings

1 kg of beans: 2,000 shillings

1 bundle of Bo (kale-like vegetable): 500-2,000 shillings (depending on the season)

1 secondhand outfit for a child: 10,000 shillings

1 semester of primary school for a child in a rural village: 30,000-50,000 shillings

(2,000 Ugandan shillings = approximately $1)

Goat’s milk can play a key role in meeting the crucial nutritional needs of young children, and the meat can feed the entire family. Goats are easy to raise, even for young kids and the elderly; they are nearly self-sufficient, requiring only grass to graze, water to drink, and occasional veterinary care if they get sick. To help the families deal with this expense, GWED-G vaccinated all of the goats before distributing them and brings a vet to the visit the families in the field.

For most of the families, the income and nutrition that the goats provide will give them a major foothold as they work to pull themselves out the poverty trap. However, for others, especially those headed by widowed grandmothers, the trap is so deep that more support is needed.  Stay tuned as we introduce you to some of the project’s families in coming posts!