Goats and Donkeys Transform Lives in Darfur

In 2014 it is hard to believe that children are still staving to death but this is the harsh reality in Darfur.  This year, of all years, the need is enormous.   What is tragic is that conditions are even worse now than they were when we started. The news from South Sudan cannot but affect Darfur where families are already desperately beleaguered.  For months now mothers have not been able to feed their children properly: literally hundreds are now showing the outward physical signs of malnutrition.  What is tragic is that the recent reports that I have been sent from villages asking us to adopt them this year; all reported children dying from malnutrition in 2013.  Our first priority must therefore be to keep children alive and healthy.  

Our goat loan has now been working in Darfur for 13 years.  Our simple loan of a billy goat and 5 nannies continues to be hailed as 'the best micro finance scheme ever' and our multiplying goats are saving lives through their nutritional milk and their ability to help mothers earn a small income, often for the first time.

In just one village, the Kids for Kids Goat Loan has helped 3,083 families who have received 15,671 goats - which have been passed on to a further 3,083 families every two years.  The milk the goats provides to children is crucial, particularly now in Darfur where soaring inflation is causing grave concern as many families have not been able to feed their children protein in any form for many months. Many children face the risk of famine in 2014 according to UN WHO yet Kids for Kids remains the only organisation helping in this forgotten area.

One goat now costs $62 (£38) which is an improvement on last year but soaring inflation for many other items mean that families are surviving on one pitiful meal a day.  One goat can save a life and goes on saving for years to come through our simple yet innovative scheme.  Our donkeys continue to be the stalwart 4X4 of the desert.  As well as providing families with an option of transport in the harsh desert they are now being used to pull the 'school bus' to our kindergarten in Abu Nahla!  Our midwives continue to call on their strong cross-bred donkeys to help mothers who need to go to hospital during child-birth too.  Thank you for supporting this vital life-line in Darfur.