As if a global pandemic wasn’t enough, Niger has experienced terrible flooding this year – the worst flooding in generations. Hundreds of thousands of Nigeriens were displaced and tens of thousands of people lost their homes, their fields, their herds. These extreme weather patterns are making a difficult climate even harder to survive.
Now, so many families are being forced to start over. RAIN is working to begin women’s herding collectives in two partner communities. These collectives start small, helping twenty women begin their own herds – but over time, they grow exponentially as each woman sponsors another woman in her village to start a herd, and so on, and so on. In time, this modest investment transforms the local economy, helping develop greater financial independence for all the women in the community.
Herds are the rural Nigerien equivalent of a savings account. A woman with a herd is more resilient, more independent, and better positioned to invest in herself and her family. Not to mention, the herds produce milk that can be consumed or turned into milk or cheese. These dairy products keep a family nourished and can also be sold at the market. Finally, the women in these communities speak of the dignity of being a good host, of being able to serve their guests a cup of fresh milk.
Four goats each for twenty women seems like a small thing but with the ripple effects – the sense of dignity and agency, the ability to provide for one’s family, and the opportunity to give back by sponsoring a neighbor for a herd of her own – this modest project is the catalyst for a community-wide movement.
Thank you for all you’ve done. We hope you’ll continue to support this project to ensure that these women, their families, and their neighbors have the support they need to build and grow – now and into the future.
Please consider sharing this opportunity with your friends and family - none of us can do it alone.
We look forward to updating you as the year progresses!
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