Being an orphan is not easy. Raising siblings is not easy. Taking care of a grandma is not easy. We will provide three grown, pregnant goats and a male goat to a family of orphans to help them on the road to self-sufficiency. They will be trained prior to and after receiving the animals, vaccines and transport of the animals. Seeds for a personal garden are included, too, so that the manure will be put to good use, giving the children fresh veggies to complement the milk from their goats.
AIDS orphans are in a very difficult situation. They must provide for themselves and their siblings, as well as an elderly grandparent who might be looking after them. These kids don't eat well and often, can't go to school due to lack of energy and funds. In a country like Zimbabwe where there are over 1.8 million orphans, the problem is HUGE. Training children to become business men and women is key to ending the cycle of poverty.
We will provide Daya and her family with 3 pregnant goats after they've received husbandry training and have constructed appropriate housing for their animals. As the animals grow, their milk is drunk by the children and their manure is used in a garden with seeds provided by this micro-grant. After 3 years, the flock is big enough so that the children sell one or two animals and can eat meat. With ongoing training, they are herders with a business of their own, providing for their needs.
The long-term effect of this project is that another family will be able to pull themselves out of the poverty cycle. They, with training and ongoing support, will become herders, owners of a flock of goats which will keep producing milk, manure and meat to help sustain the family and others int he community. This will be a family who will donate 3 goats to another one, and the cycle will keep being broken, from one family to the other.
