Livestock for 300 Orphan Families in Zimbabwe

Sometimes something so exciting happens that we want the world to know about it.  We have that kind of news right now, right here!  AFCA is about to set up a new breeding/multiplication center in Matopos, Zimbabwe!  Yes, we will be raising goats in this center and we will be training community members in gardening, husbandry, and basic veterinary skills. Why?  So that when beneficiary families are selected and when they have the appropriate housing built for their animals, they can receive three pregnant goats in order to start their flock.

A multiplication center is a pretty cool idea - it is where we can place healthy animals and breed them with strong bucks so that their offspring produce more milk or meat, depending on the goals of the project. We will keep good records of births, deaths, parents, siblings, milk production, size, etc, so we know which animals are the best to pass on to families. Trainings also take place at the center, allowing families to see, touch and learn in a very real way how to care for animals, how to properly feed them, what a good shelter looks like, why it is important to keep them warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and so much more.  

Families can work together at the multiplication center, learning together and reminding each other of what they've seen and learned.  We are so excited to be setting up a new center and look forward to watching little kids grow up to be strong, healthy goats, while also watching our children grow up to be herders and farmers. 

Thank YOU for being part of this life-changing project.  Thank you for allowing us to bring hope to this part of the world, where drinking milk can make the difference between having some protein in your system or not.  Thank you for giving children the chance to break out of the cycle of poverty.

Keep your eyes peeled on this space for photos of the kids and goats, as well as photos of the beneficiaries.  It's going to be a great project.  I just feel it!

A variety of vegetables in Regina’s garden have outlived its period and she is looking forward to receiving new seeds to plant.  She has some seeds she saved, like tomatoes and peas which she is going to plant before receiving seeds from our program.  We have urged our beneficiaries to save seeds and they are doing that.  Regina is 56 years old and has four children.  Three of them are attending school!  Simon is 7 years old and is pictured with Regina.  He should have started school, but has been able to do so because of his poor health.

Like most beneficiaries, Regina is very hardworking and has managed to provide her children with the vegetable nutrition they need, and  she has gone an extra mile selling some of the vegetables from her garden to raise money for children’s other needs.  Your donations to support our Zimbabwe livestock and agricultural project have made this all possible for Regina and many other families just like hers.  The health of children is improving daily and they are able to attend school.  The future is brighter and you have made dreams come true!

If you have questions or are interested in learning more about this program or others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@afcaids.org.

Here are some of the beneficiaries of our gardening project standing in their vegetable beds.  Doesn't it look amazing?  The kale is doing quite well, althought it has smaller leaves compared to the cabbage.  Check out the huge head of cabbage Frederick is holding on the left.  The report from our partner described the cabbage as "lovely".  The best thing about this photo and report is that the families are harvesting the vegetables for their families.

Thanks to your donations to support this livestock and agricultural project, the families are eating well.  Dozens of children are going to school and are feeling generally healthy. They have a bright future and they understand that your financial support makes it all possible.

Please know that your generosity is truly making a difference in the lives of these families and many more in our program. With our partners on the ground, the children and their families receive the support and monitoring they need to make this a very successful project. We are changing lives day after day. These families feel your love, and so do we at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS.

If you have questions or are interested in learning more about this program or others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@afcaids.org.

What an amazing year it has been for AFCA's children, thanks to YOU! Because of YOU, thousands of children are thriving and hopeful. Because of YOU, hundreds of children had good food to eat this year. Because of YOU, hundreds of children have livestock and seeds with which to start small businesses. We don't have enough words to thank you for what you've done because it is huge...it is life changing.

Let me introduce you to 22 year-old Moyo. He is one of the gardening beneficiaries, and is the head of his family. During a recent support visit, he already had a thriving cabbage vegetable plantation which he was harvesting a bit by bit for his young siblings for relish. The secret behind the young man’s success is simply following the basic gardening skills AFCA has taught him during our workshops. For instance, the young man transplanted his cabbage simultaneously with the other beneficiaries and he is already harvesting. These days the sun is so hot in this country, and Moyo's most reliable weapon is mulch. He does not need to water every day as the mulching will preserve the much needed moisture.

As we begin a new year, we want to thank you for the donations you've made to support our work. If you are making your giving decisions, please keep us in mind so we can continue helping children in 2016 and beyond. Please share what we do with others, so they, too, can help our children. Together, we CAN make a difference.

We wish you the best year ever, full of every blessing and happiness imaginable, knowing you are a hope-giver. If you would like to learn more about AFCA and our programs, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org.

We love to share our success stories of transformation with the donors who make it all possible.  Last month we received this beautiful photo and words of appreciation.

Mrs. Ndlovu is a widow who had 10 biological children consisting of 5 boys and 5 girls who all died. In her words, her children died because of "umkhuhlane lo bantwabami" a local reference to HIV &AIDS. She buried her last child in 2010. Because of the trauma associated with the loss of all her children, she decided to relocate from one village to another within her area.

Mrs. Ndlovu had no assets (cattle or goats) but was taking care of 4 orphans. In 2012, she was identified as one of the beneficiaries for our livelihood project. She was then trained in small livestock management and was given 3 female goats.  She currently has 21 goats and she has passed on 3 goats to another needy family, per our agreement. The goats provide a source of milk and protein for the orphans while she uses goat manure for her nutritional garden. The livestock has boosted her self-worth within the community and she is able to sustain herself in an area affected by recurrent droughts.

Mrs. Ndlovu says that because she has her own livestock she is now "financially stable" as she knows that she can sell one goat and manage to get food supplies for two to three months. The local price of one goat is $85 and this is sufficient to pay school fees for three of her grandchildren for one school term.

When we visited her home, one of her female goats had given birth to triplets a day before the visit. In the photo, she holds the new members of the family with great pride and emotion. She says, “I do not know how to thank these people who have shown me such love. I truly believe angels are there and I thank God for his angels who have transformed our lives for the better.”