Goats and Donkeys Transform Lives in Darfur

Good progress has continued to be made in the three new villages where KIDS FOR  KIDS has started activities during the last six months, namelyTikailat, Abu Nahla and Khreiban B. In December 50 people from each village received training in improved animal husbandry techniques. This included all the poor households selected by the communities to receive the goat and donkey loans and the key members of the Animal Loans Committee who will manage the livestock loans scheme and of the Village Development Committee. In addition a group of children in each village have been selected to form the Children's Shepherds Committee and these children have also received animal husbandry training. This is because the children play a key role in looking after the goats, in particular taking them for grazing. They are therefore well placed to notice if any of the goats are sick provided that they have been trained what to look out for. The Children's Shepherds Committees are given the responsibility of checking all the goats on a weekly basis and reporting any problems to the village paravets who will be trained by KIDS FOR KIDS and to the Animal Loans Committee.

The animal husbandry training covered animal care, animal behaviour, feeding and nutrition including types of pasture, reproduction, and health including the important endemic animal diseases - their symptoms, treatment and control. Training was also given on the importance of vaccination and the use of  vaccines. In addition the trainees were shown how to make cheese and yoghurt as possible means of livelihood. All this training is provided to ensure that the recipients of the livestock loans are able to manage their livestock as healthy and productive animals.

Now that the training has been completed, the recipients of the loans in Tikailat are this month being helped to purchase their goats and donkeys at the local market. The Project Manager, who is a vet, will guide the beneficiaries in selecting strong and healthy animals. In the coming month the beneficiaries in Abu Nahla and Kreiban B will receive similar assistance to purchase their animals. The arrival of these goats and donkeys will make a huge difference to the lives of these poor families. The goats will immediately provide milk to improve the nutrition and health of their children and in the future there will be income from the sale of milk and kids which will enable the families to pay for things which they have not been able to before - water, school fees and books for their children and medicines when the children are sick. Having the animals as a 'bank' provides great peace of mind to the mothers. The donkeys are an enormous help in transporting water, fuelwood and fodder saving much time and effort for the women and children. The donkey is often used by the children to go to school when it is far away.

So we are most grateful to you all for the help which you have given which is making all this possible. I hope you can see that you really are making a difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable and neglected families in the world. 

• Animal husbandry training in Tikailat (DOCX)
• Chidren's Shepherds Committee in Kreiban B (DOCX)