Livestock for 300 Orphan Families in Zimbabwe

Sally is 54 years old and from Silobi Village in Umzingwane District of Matabeleland South in Zimbabwe.  She is a widow and HIV+, her husband having passed away from AIDS complications a few years ago.  She is raising her 3 grandchildren on her own. The eldest is 16 and the youngest just turning 1 year old.

Sally makes a living by cutting and selling thatching grass during the winter dry months and also making grass brooms which she sells at $1 each. Her average monthly income is $35.  She was identified 4 years ago as a potential beneficiary of the AFCA goat project and last week it was her turn to receive 3 pregnant goats from Morning Star Camp where the goat program is based.  She received training in the basics of looking after her goats and was so excited to receive them. She sat and hugged one of the goats as her neighbors assisted in getting them settled.  Sally said, " May God Bless Mrs Tanya and AFCA family for this big chance for me to do something better for my grandchildren."

Morning Star is privileged to be the local partner for AFCA in this life changing initiative.

We checked on Sally and her goats this morning. All is well and we expect the kids to be born during this month of April.  

The team here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS thanks you for supporting this project and the work we do for the children in Africa.  As you start to make decisions regarding your giving this year, please keep us in mind so we can continue our good work through 2023 and beyond.  If you would like to learn even more about what we do or how you can meet some of the children you have helped, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org. 

Nathan and his family are beneficiaries of AFCA’s Livelihoods Program in Gemena, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Nathan entered the project because of a child named Bennett whose father passed away due to complications of AIDS. Bennett was adopted by Nathan's family, joining a rather large family of 5 other children, some adopted and some biological.

According to Nathan, before being a beneficiary of this project, they had approximately 75 cents for food for the entire family per day. They obviously couldn’t eat well and the children were to weak to go to school. When he has been selected to be part of the project, he was trained in agriculture, in animal breeding and in financial management. AFCA gave him peanut, beans and corn seeds for a field, vegetable seeds for the house garden and three rabbits to breed in order to allow them to live well.

With the knowledge that he has acquired from AFCA, he has been able to change his way of feeding his family - his field productivity was good and helped him to well live.

After one year, he gave back three full grown rabbits to AFCA (for another family) and he traded a bunch of rabbits for two goats. Before long, he kept trading up and now has seven large, healthy goats. Some rabbits were sold for cash, allowing him to send his children to school. When somebody in his family is sick, he is able to bring him or her at the health clinic.  This was all unheard of in the past and Nathan is so happy to know that his life is different now.

According to his calculations, from the 3 rabbits that AFCA originally gave him, he returned three to the program, he has sold approximately 180 other rabbits and the family has eaten many more. Now he is living well with his family because, while before they consumed 1300 FC per day but now they consume 6000 FC ($3) and all the children are doing well in school.

Nathan thanks AFCA’s project because it has changed his life and he asks for AFCA to continue with its good work to help those who are vulnerable in his community.  “May the Lord bless all the people who contributed to the evolution of my family.”

Everyone here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, and our partners in Africa, thank you for your continued support of this important project.  If you would like to learn even more about this project and others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org. 

It's always a good feeling to report that everything is relatively quiet on the home front!  All of our goats are healthy and happy. Our first kids have started to arrive and our first set of twins for this year!  It's an exciting time.  So far all the kids are boys.

Thando and Bheki continue to do a wonderful job of watching over and caring for the tribe. We are thankful for their hard work and attention to our important project. They bring a sense of calmness to all of us.

We are reminded on a daily basis of the goodness around us and that it is made possible by the generous donors like yourself. We don't take it for granted and know that we wouldn't be able to help the children in our community without you.

Everyone here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, and our partners in Africa, thank you for your continued support of this important project.  If you would like to learn even more about this project and others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org. 

Happy new year to our generous donors!  Our goat project is progressing steadily.  We have had some wonderful rain recently and you can almost hear the grass growing as you walk around!!  The staff are constantly cutting grass at the moment, which we are stacking and keeping dry for the winter.

Generally the tribe is all healthy and we have 22 does who are currently pregnant and will be giving birth in April or May.  Sadly, we have had a couple of losses.  We lost some goats from toxins in some of the plants in the bush.  We lost another one due to staff negligence.  We have had some staff issues, but have a new herdsman, Ben. He has joined us from Matopos and is in training.

As you will see from the photos, everyone is looking healthy and enjoying the fresh green grass.  We look forward to starting construction of the staff housing as soon as the rains ease.

Everyone here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, and our partners in Africa, thank you for your continued support of this important project.  If you would like to learn even more about this project and others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org.