Economic Growth Sudan Project #4011

Goats and Donkeys Transform Lives in Darfur

by Kids for Kids

Project Report | Feb 11, 2021
Achievements despite the struggles in Sudan

By Anna Sambrook | Fundraising and Outreach Coordinator

Girl fetching water with her donkey

Kids for Kids turns 20 on the 8th March, and we are so humbled by the number of goats and donkeys that you helped to provide, that have been supporting thousands of families across the years. Not just from the initial goat loan but from the subsequent rotations after two years, in which 5 goats from the original flock are given to another family in need.

However, the need for goats and donkeys is greater than ever in Darfur. In the grip of an economic crisis, inflation is still increasing in Sudan - at last count, it was over 250%. As many families are surviving on just a single meal a day malnutrition and starvation are a very real threat.

By providing 5 nanny goats to a family a mother is able to feed her children the milk, turning their health around. Mothers are able to earn a living by selling excess milk, this income can be used to send her children to school. A donkey given to a family helps to lighten the burden of water collection which usually falls to women and children - allowing a child time to gain an education. If a donkey dies there is no chance of a family affording to replace it. Donkeys are the only means of transport. If you don't have a donkey, the only alternative is to walk, often many miles across the desert for every drop of water.

The difference these animals can make in someone's life is extraordinary!

Because conditions in Darfur were rapidly deteriorating, in 2020 we made the decision to adopt eight, instead of five, communities. We were only able to do this because of the generosity of supporters like you. Because of you, last year 270 families received a donkey to help carry water, take children to school, allow mothers and fathers to provide for their children.

These same families were given 1,375 nanny goats to give hungry children nutritious milk and 90 billy goats to help grow the flocks and livelihoods.

We are so very grateful for your help during these trying times, but whilst we should be celebrating good news like this, it is also a reminder that there are so many more families who deserve the same opportunity to determine their own future.

For the people of Darfur, a goat can mean the difference between life or death, a goat can be a beacon of hope and the possibility of a brighter future.

Every parent should be able to sleep at night knowing her children are well-fed and healthy - will you help us provide more goats and donkeys to more families in need?

Mother with her flock of goats

Mother and baby.

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Oct 14, 2020
A Vital Lifeline in a Time of Need.

By Anna Sambrook | Fundraising and Outreach Coordinator

A smiling happy boy prepares for his new goats!

Donkeys are a vital lifeline to the people of Darfur at the best of times. The harsh environmental conditions people and families have to live with every day make life a struggle. The relentless heat of the sun, droughts in some areas, flooding in others. This is why we provide goats and donkeys to families. They provide necessary sustenance to hungry children in the form of goats milk, donkeys helping with everyday tasks such as collecting water or firewood. These animals help to lighten the load.

However, times have never been harder for the people of Darfur. Sudan has declared an economic emergency as inflation soars, reaching a staggering 167% in August and is still rising. The price of basic staples has gone through the roof. Everyone in Sudan is struggling but when disasters like this happen, it is often the most in need that are the ones hit the hardest.

In the midst of the disaster Kids for Kids has some happy news. Two of the recently adopted villages in Darfur, Abu Sinait, and Um Ajaja have just received their lifelines, new goats for the most in need! Smiling faces of the mothers and excitement of the children expresses their delight and what must be relief! This is what we accomplished with your help. So on behalf of the people who have already received their goats and donkeys, we thank you.

However, we must provide more goats to feed more starving children, we must provide more donkeys to share the hard work. Families have never been more in need. There are thousands more still waiting for help. We can not turn our backs on the people of Darfur - Kids for Kids is there for these people in the darkest of times - will you?

For $70 you can provide a single goat to a family or provide a little donkey that will help a family collect water for $95 but any amount no matter how small will go to the greatest need for the people of Darfur.

The goats have arrived at their new home!

A family who will benefit from a goat loan.

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Jun 25, 2020
Goat's Milk to Strengthen Children - Urgent

By Sage Lancaster | Fundraising and Outreach Coordinator

Goats bringing smiles to beneficiary's faces!

Cases of COVID-19 are being reported in Darfur now, in towns very close to our villages. In Sudan, the official report is that as of 19 June 2020, there were 8,698 people confirmed to have COVID-19 in Sudan, including 533 fatalities, according to The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). However, the real figure is far higher – there is no testing and therefore few cases are officially confirmed. The truth will never be known, but the dangers are.

Providing goats right now will mean milk for children who are weak and malnourished – milk that will help to strengthen their immune systems, helping to fight the virus. And our goats do so much more than just improve children's health – goats improve the lives of families long-term. In 2015 we adopted Um Keddada village, and Fatinya was one of the poorest women in the village, with two young children. She received five goats and the share of a billy goat with two other families from the Animal Loan Committee - along with a donkey, two blankets, and two mosquito nets. In 2017 when the Goat Rotation took place, Fatinya had 24 goats and passed five of these along to another family in the village. Today she has 27 goats in total – goats who have enabled her to feed her children and keep them healthy, as well as sell surplus milk at market, and make yoghurt and ghee to sell too! The ability to earn an income is incomparable – especially now as inflation is soaring as COVID-19 ravages the country.

If you are not yet aware of the Urgent COVID-19 Appeal for Soap we have launched as a GlobalGiving Microproject, please check it out. This appeal is the only hope people can have to prevent the virus from spreading. Just $25/£20 provides five bars of soap each to 10 families, along with an illustrated instruction leaflet teaching people how to properly wash hands (so important when water is scarce). £380 is enough to provide soap to a whole village. The way of life in Darfur means social distancing and isolation are impossible. People live in small huts, crowded, in dire conditions of poverty. Children are malnourished with weak immune systems so will be unable to fight the virus. Soap is the only hope of saving lives.

Please donate if you are able and share the link with anyone you can think of! And do continue to donate goats as their milk is hugely important in maintaining people's health.

Thank you all so much. Your help is the key to our successful projects, as we do not spend money on advertising, and because, as you can imagine, our donations have dropped significantly since February. Anything you can do to help us will save lives.

Fatinya on her land with her goats

Kids for Kids' Goats!

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