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Do you give a goat?
Check out the Lausanne Marathon Sponsor Page
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Project Capricorn
‘Give a mum a goat’ - GOAT-REARING for health & wealth among village
women in India
Why goats? – they are the ‘poor man’s cow’:
- Hardy – thriving in harsh conditions, where sheep and cattle cannot
- Easy & cheap to feed (as they eat almost anything)
- Breed rapidly
- A great source of manure
- Give healthy & nutritious milk, and meat either for household consumption or for income.
Because of this they are great for poor families. So, with even a few goats, a household is able to sell the kids at the local market, drink the vitamin-rich milk, and even save some cash. |
| The Need? In poor villages women are typically the most disadvantaged – supporting most of the family burdens (children, water, health, nutrition, etc)… but totally dependent on their men-folk for money. We identify the most vulnerable people within the community, supply them with a female goat and train them in goat-rearing & management. |
| The Opportunity? Starting with just one female goat, a woman can build her own source of milk, manure, meat and money for the benefit of her family. Within a year she will be able to pass on her first female kid to another disadvantaged family – allowing this ‘new start’ to help another household, and so sustain and expand the scheme. After this, she can keep the kids and build a small herd if she wants. |
Where in India? – the project will start off in Tehra near Agra,Uttar Pradesh, in an area where our Indian partner organisation, Schumacher Centre Delhi (SCD) is already working with the British High Commission on a reproductive health and child care programme.
The project will then be extended to locations elsewhere in India – probably in Uttaranchal and in Orissa.
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| How does it work? – through careful consultation, we identify 100 families in a selected village, who are willing to participate in the scheme. This involves purchasing a she-goat from the scheme on credit (which will be ‘repaid’ after a year either in cash – or by passing on a female kid to another family). |
| Training & Sustainability – it is key to the success & sustainability of the scheme for the women to learn both goat-rearing (including animal health), and how to save and invest surplus income. The initial training package will be delivered by the project, but by year 2 selected women will take over the training process to make it self-sustaining. |
When will the project start? – we plan to start the project during December 2005, following consultations in three villages near Tehra, that we have already identified - namely, Birai, Chhitapura Motipura and Hamirpura. By mid-2007 the project aims to be self-sustaining, and already helping support 200 families.
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| Project cost and funding target - The cost of a suitable goat is £25 (Rs2000), and training, transport and other costs amount to £6 per family in year one. To cover the costs of the ‘foundation herd’ of 100 goats and delivering the whole training package. Once established, the scheme gathers its own momentum. |
Funds raised so far: £1,800
Minimum needed by mid-November is £3,100
to launch the project before Christmas!...
So here's a Christmas idea for 2006!...
will your family find £25 to help us set
an Indian family on the path to
better health and livelihood?
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