In the landlocked African country of Rwanda, weaving cooperatives have been established to help disadvantaged women after the devastating 1994 genocide that left them as widows, single mothers, and teenage orphaned girls. These groups of women put their ethnic differences aside in order to weave beautiful, one-of-a-kind baskets to export around the world. This has created a new economic opportunity to begin lifting themselves out of poverty.
The Gifted Hands Innovation Center and Partners in Health (PIH) are taking an additional step in assisting these weaving communities by providing families with goats. These animals are valuable assets for a variety of reasons, as described below.
1. Goats can graze even on poor, dry land which is unsuitable for other livestock. Therefore they are easy to raise in any location.
2. Goats can supply a family with several quarts of milk each day. This provides essential nutrition for undernourished children and adults.
3. Extra milk from goats can be made into delicacies like cheese or yogurt. These items can then be sold, generating additional income for the family.
4. Goat manure can be used to fertilize gardens and fields. The added nutrients to the soil will improve the output and quality of crops, resulting in food to feed the family and a surplus available to sell.
5. Goats often have two or three kids a year. Families can start small dairies with the additional animals, increasing their earning potential.
6. With their profits from owning a goat, families are able to afford food, education and health care. Ultimately, this will help them end the cycle of poverty and provide new opportunities for the next generation.
The advantages of owning a goat are obvious. Unfortunately, many people in the rural weaving communities of Rwanda are still unable to afford these useful animals.
With a Gift That Gives More™ , you can support Gifted Hands Innovation Center’s and Partners in Health’s efforts to deliver beneficial goats to families. Along with the animals, both organizations provide important instructions and training on how to raise goats, ensuring the improvement of the family’s garden, nutrition, and livelihood. Click here to give a goat to a Rwandan family in need.