GlobalGiving.org: Food for 400 Orphan Families

How Three Goats Changed a Life

Qobolwakhe Khumalo — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:22:17 GMT

Cuthbert and Family

This report came directly from Zimbabwe:

"Cuthbert Moyo is an unemployed boy from Mawane village in Ntepe. He lives with his sickly mother (Ziga Dube, 52 years old) and three siblings: Thubelihle (7 years - grade 2), Ndodana (3 years), and Khulekani (13 years and in form 1).The father died in 2003 after a long illness, and since then, the family has had a lot of challenges ranging from hunger to sickness. During the father’s sickness, the few livestock they had were wiped out by medical expenses.

The family received three female goats in 2011.Two goats have given birth. One goat gave birth to a female kid while the other gave birth to twins: one male and one female. The family is milking the goats. The milk is used by all family members in tea and as a drink. Each goat is producing an average of 650mls of milk per day. The family is also using manure from the goat kraals in their vegetable plots and this has seen a marked improvement in the quality and quantity of their vegetable produce. Before the introduction of the goat project Thubelihle and Ndodana had struggled to get adequate food and signs of malnutrition were very visible. With the milk from goats and vegetables from their plots, malnutrition is a thing of the past and their skin is very healthy.

Ziga (mom) looks forward to selling a goat in the future when the project matures so that she can pay fees for the children."

It is so encouraging to receive these reports from the field! Yes, the projects are working and kids are getting healthier each day. Stay tuned for more reports.

~ Tanya

Cuthbert, siblings and goats

One of the goats AFCA donated

Links:

Learn More About AFCA's Nutritional Programs

Goats and ATMIT - A life-saving combination

Tanya Weaver — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:51:46 GMT

Nomquele with her goats in the background

Nomqhele comes from Payi in Ntepe area. She is a form three student who is looking after her grandmother (Cristina Nyathi, 78years old). Nomqhele’s father died in 1995 when Nomqhele was still being breastfed by her mother, who has since passed away, as well.

This small family received three goats from AFCA in late 2010. Since then, two goats have given birth and the family has seen an addition of four kids to their flock! The goat milk is used in their tea and to drink with dinner, which has improved their health and has filled their bellies. Manure is used in their vegetable plots, allowing Nomquele and her grandmother to eat better meals, complete with vegetables they grow themselves. Some of these veggies include tomatoes, pumpkins, peanuts, beans, peas, onions, and kale.

Besides their improved health, Nomqhele says her status in the community has improved as she is now regarded as the livestock owner by other members of the community. This is MASSIVE in a culture dominated by men and Nomqhele's future looks promising as she continues her training in husbandry (also part of what AFCA does) and basic veterinary skills.

Since Nomquele and her grandmother are not allowed to slaughter the goats until three years since their gift has passed, we supplement their diet by providing ATMIT - an oat based porridge. Together with ATMIT, the milk and the vegetables, Nomquele is doing well. Thank you for your part in this. Thank you for caring for children like Nomquele and for giving her a better life now and a chance of a future.

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones,

tanya

Links:

Sustainable Food is Happening!

Tanya Weaver — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:59:50 GMT

Day by day things are changing in Zimbabwe. While a difficult government is still in place, hope is seen in different sections of the country. One of the exciting ones is the fact that children are now being set up to be self-reliant, with sustainable food sources, thanks to you.

While you have been helping provide for the food needs of children, we've been hard at work donating goats, chickens and seeds so that children learn how to grow and maintain flocks of animals and vegetable gardens. The eggs and milk produced by their animals is of immediate relief for those who've been malnourished for too long. In fact, all the children in every one of the sustainability projects we've embarked on in Zimbabwe has gained weight and is now considered to be in the healthy weight zone. How exciting is that?

Check out the attached photos of some of the food we sent, along with a photo of one of our chicken beneficiaries (David is a head of household at 15 years of age).

During this holiday season I wish you all the best and much joy in your own lives,

Tanya

Return to Zimbabwe

Tanya Weaver — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:27:06 GMT

I can't believe that it is time to plan my visit to Zimbabwe! As usual, I am so excited to get back there and to see, talk and play with the children whom we support. In fact, my family and I will move to Zimbabwe for three months next summer because I want my children to get to know the kids they've heard about all their lives.

Zimbabwe is one of my favorite places on earth, even though it might be a little sad and broken. When people ask me why I like Zimbabwe, I simply envision the people I've met there - their tenacity and will to move forward, no matter what is put in front of them. Hard working and with a smile on their face, they are a symbol of grace during a very difficult time in their history. I love hearing them sing in 6 part harmony - so effortless and so gorgeous! I like eating their food, hearing their stories, and traveling through their incredible land. What a beautiful country Zimbabwe is!

So, of course, it is with such joy that I can report that children are doing well - that they are eating the ATMIT we sent, that they are receiving the medicines they need, that girls are attending school thanks to the feminine products we've sent them, and that they are growing up. Yes, they are growing up and I can't wait to see them to hear their stories from the past year and to see how the goats and chickens we gave out are doing. I am excited to see lives changed!

Thank you all for making our work in Zimbabwe possible. If you can, please tell others about what we do there. We need many, many people to care for the children in that amazing country because we want all those children to dream of their futures, knowing they are possible.

On behalf of the children,

Tanya Weaver

Containers of ATMIT Arrived!

Tanya Weaver — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:55:15 GMT

The four containers of ATMIT (easily digestible oat porridge loaded with vitamins and minerals) have arrived in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe! The week prior to arrival, it is always a nail-biting week because we simply don't ever know how the goverment of Zimbabwe will react to this humanitarian gift. But, thankfully, we've never lost a container, no matter how many hoops we have to jump through to make sure the food arrives.

Now, sitting in our partner ZOE's warehouse, we have food for 400 orphan families for 3 entire months. WHOO HOO! Really, what is better than knowing that little ones can have a warm, decent meal twice a day? Folks, please realize what you've done by donating to this project: you've assured these kids of one of the basic necessities of life - one that we take for granted in our corner of the world. We can eat as many times a day as we want to, even if it is something small, like a carrot or something decadent, like cheesecake. If we don't have time to cook, we have restaurants, fast food joints, supermarkets, and pizza shops to go to. Amazing, isn't it?

I am always reminded of how blessed we are when I visit the kids. Some of the kids had no food when I first met them. Some were literally mixing water and dirt to make little mud pies, which they'd wash down as dinner. Now. they are SO grateful for the nutritional support we send! They've gained weight, they are back in school and they have hope.

All that said, I want to thank each and everyone of you for your generosity and for your care for children who are so far away.

On behalf of the children,

tanya

Four new containers of ATMIT on their way

Tanya Weaver — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:04:07 GMT

Four new containers, each containing 800 50-pound bags of ATMIT (easily digestible oat porridge, full of minerals and vitamins) have left our hands and are on their way to Bulawayo, for the orphan families. The containers should be arriving in Zimbabwe in a month or so and the food will be distributed by our friends from Zimbabwe Orphans Through Extended Hands (ZOE) to the kids.

It makes me very happy to know that even in this tough economy, we have kept our work and have sent the food these kids so desperately need. But, I would be remiss to say that i hasn't been hard and that we haven't had to fight for every penny it cost to get those containers out. There is never a question in my mind that we need to fulfill our promises and that our plans should always move forward, no matter how much we have to beg, plead, and move mountains. Thank God, each child is receiving what we said we'd send and they are able to take their medicine because they have food in their bellies.

Thanks to each of you for giving generously. Thank you for telling others about our kids and about our work, too!

On behalf of the kids,

Livestock and Food - great combination!

Tanya Weaver — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:42:59 GMT

Well, going back to Zimbabwe was great! Not only did we get a chance to meet with the ZOE staff whom we support, but we got to meet with beneficiaries. These are the folks who receive the food you've made possible through your donations. They are an incredibly grateful group of folks who just are excited about life and the possibilities they have, now that they have hope.

While in Bulawayo, we met with a potential local donor of food (I hope it works out!) and we also purchased livestock (goats and chickens) for orphan families on behalf of the Canadian Foundation for Children with AIDS (sister organization). These families are eligible for help if they are a child headed household, a family with one parent who passed away and the other who is sick, or a family that is cared for by an elderly person -relative or not.

Between the food you give these kids and the livestock they receive, they are truly on the path to self-reliance. The food is used to give the animals a chance to reproduce and produce so the kids can have eggs and milk to balance out the porridge AFCA provides. Manure is used for gardens. How cool is that?

Thanks for all you do, friends.

Check out the video - i linked it so you can see what we did.

On behalf of the kids,

tanya

Links:

Short video of Livestock Program

Visiting Zimbabwe

Tanya Weaver — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:45:40 GMT

I am thrilled to be returning to Zimbabwe this month. It has been a year since our last visit and we are anxious to visit the children who are benefitting form your generosity. Not only do they receive daily meals thanks to the containers of food that AFCA (and you!) sent in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, but they also received animals in order to start growing small herds.

We found out that some of the kids just didn't know enough about husbandry to take animals home, so until they are properly trained, they will learn how to care for the animals in a communal setting. Each child gets to keep some manure produced by the animals to sell as fertilizer, and they also receive milk and eggs produced by the animals so they have something to eat and barter. All along, they eat the porridge they received, making sure they give their animals time to reproduce and produce.

This project is a huge success and we are so proud to be part of it. In fact, four more containers of nutritional support will be sent later this summer so the kids receive a full year of this gift.

I will return with photos and will be sharing them here for all of you to see. Keep your eyes peeled for our next update!

Links:

4 containers on way to Zimbabwe!

Tanya Weaver — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:02:36 GMT

We are so happy to report that 4 new containers of fortified porridge are on their way to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, as part of ZOE's Livelihood's Program. This food is so valuable to the orphan families, as it gives them the nutrition and full bellies they need while they care for their goats and chickens. With reports from the field letting us know that the program has been a good success, we are looking forward to our visit to the program in July, 2010. We'll be sure to take many photos and post them here for you to see what your donations are doing for people who are on their way to being self-sustaining. Thanks for being part of hope!

ATMIT arrives in Zimbabwe

Tanya Weaver — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:21:27 GMT

It is very exciting for us to let you know that two 40' containers of oat-based nutritional support has arrived in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Each container had 800 bags of the cereal, which is being distributed to the poorest of the poor in this devastated country.

While the beneficiaries find the food delicious (it really is!), they are also eating something healthy - oats, milk, sugar, vitamins, and minerals. As they gain strength, they are able to tend to their personal garden or if they don't have one, they can attend trainings on how to grow their own food or raise their own animals. So far, the project is a success and we thank you for your part in it.

Please don't forget to tell others about this important project. These folks really do want to be self-reliant and sufficient, so this hands up is a gift to them, enabling them to help themselves.

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