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UPDATE FOR 2011
I went to Uganda in late August, 2011, returning in the middle of September. After I had booked my tickets in April, I found out that there was a quarantine against moving goats (any domestic animals) in or out of our District where we worked. Our Veterinarian had always bought our Anglo-Nubian goats from other areas, as they are an unusual breed. However, I couldn’t change my tickets nor my own schedule. The widows had been chosen, and I would at least meet with them. Luckily, our widows from 2008 had 16 goats that we BOUGHT from them! Isn’t that the way it should be? (I just got word October 31 that the 4 remaining goats have been delivered.)
While visiting with the former widows, I reminded them that they agreed to give us a female goat in the 4th year. Many international charities want the first born baby animal, but we couldn’t do that to people who were so destitute. We had bought some solar lamps for $20 each, and I gave one to a widow who had given us a papa goat last year to replace her mama goat that had died. She was thrilled to receive it, and it reinforced among the other widows that they wanted to give us a goat in order to receive the lamp. What a difference it makes for people living in mud huts with grass roofs. They had been using kerosene lamps or candles, but they cost money, and these were far brighter. The lamps will enable the children to study their schoolwork at night. Being so close to the Equator, the sun goes down and comes up at 7:00 every day. The lamps have a dual cord that the widows can use to charge cell phones for other people (for a fee) at the same time they will be charging their lamps.
I was delighted to see how far some of the 2008 widows came in just 3 years. One had sold some goats and bought land! Another sold a goat because she had malaria and needed to go to the hospital (you have to pay in advance there). One widow sold some goats to send her daughters to private boarding school. That seems a bit excessive until we learn that the daughters are 16 and 17 years old, and had only been through the third grade. And Faith, our first widow, sold two goats to buy a heifer, so she will have a milk cow and make a nice income! Cows are harder to handle and have to be driven to water each day, but if any of our widows can do it, she can. Faith also sold a goat and bought a bicycle—transportation! Two widows have bought plots of land.
Our Veterinarian’s assistant, Dr. Sam, has been a vital part of our program. We are still paying him to go out every three months to doctor all the goats. Each time, he reminds the widows how to care for them, and when to breed them with our papa goats. We have been paying for a motorcycle guy to take him. (One person on a bike is a boda, one with a passenger is a boda boda.) We have just bought him a motorcycle – licensed in his own name. He will reduce his fee for the next couple of years, until that savings equals half the cost of the motorcycle. This will be much more convenient for him. He also has a charitable spirit, and said he will go out on any emergency call for no fee. He gets frustrated when the widows wait until their goat is dead before contacting him, and is telling them to let him know at the first sign of illness. Most of the goat deaths are from them eating plastic bags that blow around the countryside. It is a fairly simple procedure for him to cut the goat open and remove the obstruction. We gave him a small emergency fund so he can pay the cell phone person who called for the widow.
Regarding Kenya, we have given Bishop William $6,000 so far, to fence half of their 20 acre plot and build a barn. I had planned to go to Kenya during this trip to visit them. However, there was great unrest, and a lot of famine refugees were coming into Northern Kenya from Sudan and Somilia. I had read that Al Quaida had been disrupting international relief shipments to them. The Bishop’s location is in central Kenya, but not all that far from the displacement camps up North. It turns out that Kenya had also been having a drought so it wasn’t time to place the goats yet. He has emailed me that the rainy season has started, and he is ready to buy 20 female goats and a papa. We have just received pictures of his barn and fencing, and so have sent an additional $4,000 for the goats and other expenses. We are anxious to help him feed those starving orphans. We hope next year to send additional money to fence the rest of their plot.
Thank you for your support, From Karen, Bonnie and Carol