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| Features |
| Goats for economic empowerment |
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by
Gospel Mwalwanda, Malawi News Agency, 10 July 2006
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07:53:20
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When Executive Director of the Foundation for Active Civic Education (FACE) Gizex Gizai sees a goat, he sees it not just as an animal that bleats.
“Goats are very important to human beings. If well-looked after, they can empower us economically and change our lives for the better,” says Gizai.
He believes there has to be deliberate effort to encourage rural communities, especially the disadvantaged, to rear goats as one way of earning their livelihood and reduce poverty.
To translate his conviction into action, his organisation is implementing a project that will see 100 farmers in the area of Traditional Authority Mbenje in Nsanje receive goats on loan.
The one-year project targets T/A Mbenje’s area and it is being implemented with a grant of 15,000 pounds (about K3.7 million) from the British High Commission.
FACE is a newly formed community-based organisation in Nsanje, supported by the British charity Action Aid. Its focus is in areas of girls’ education, HIV and Aids, environment, gender and women’s rights, and food security, among others, for sustainable development.
The organisation’s vision is to have a healthy society where persons are self-reliant, economically and socially empowered, and are fully participating in development activities.
Apart from helping to empower the locals economically, the goat project will also help in reducing deforestation that is widespread in the area.
“Poverty here is very high. When there is no rain, people suffer. They have to cut trees to sell firewood, resulting in deforestation. That’s why we targeted the area,” Gizai told the Malawi News Agency.
“The goats will stop people from relying on trees,” he said, adding that the area was vulnerable to any adverse weather change, and that besides, there is little land for cultivation, forcing people to turn to firewood as a source of their livelihood.
There are 10 groups under the goat project, each consisting of 10 members (female and male). A hybrid he-goat will be provided to each group that will be used to mate with a local variety nanny-goat that every member will receive.
In return, the farmer will pay back a crossbred she-goat offspring instead of cash, and this will be loaned to another farmer, and so on. FACE feels the project will improve the locals’ lifestyle.
“Goats are easy to manage and multiply quickly,” Gizai said at the start of a goat management course at Magoti Extension Planning Area (EPA) at Sorgin in the district that FACE organised for the beneficiaries of the project.
The EPA, which has 14,594 farming families, has about 12,123 goats. The locals fail to derive maximum benefits from the animals because they do not give them proper care. Most of the times the goats are on free range and susceptible to diseases.
“Goats are vital for our lives. They can provide us a steady income through sell of meat and their hide. They are also a source of nutrition. But we do not look after them well. We need to manage them properly if they are to be useful to us,” Gizai told the course participants.
He said the scheme was a revolving one and would not end suddenly. He appealed to participants to implement the knowledge they would gain for the betterment of their families.
“Let’s embrace the project and implement it with enthusiasm. This is just the beginning. The project is here to stay,” he said.
During the three-day course, the participants learnt how to breed and feed goats, detect diseases, and how to construct a goat house. It also covered gender, development, and conflict management issues.
“The course has been very useful. It has enabled us to learn better ways of managing goats. It could not have come at a better time than now when we are expecting to receive goats,” said Boswel Andreya, one of the farmers.
Gizai expressed Face’s gratitude to the British High Commission, saying the project would not have been there if it were not for their support.
“I appeal to other donors to emulate the example of the British High Commission and assist government in its task of promoting lives of rural people,” he said. |
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