Goats for Kenya
The Connected Woman has got your Goat . . .
The Connected Woman Association continues to support the initiative to assist HIV+ women in Kenya to not only provide a food source but a viable means of income to support themselves and their families.
We encourage TCWA members, colleagues and friends to purchase a goat as gifts for their friends and family to be given to an HIV+ woman in Kenya.
You can make a difference - buy a goat. Details on how you can "GET YOUR GOAT" can be found at the bottom of this page.
Here is the story of how it started with just one woman. ~ CK
GOATS FOR KENYA 
I have been going to Kenya to volunteer since 1992. Since 2000, I have spent six months of each year in Kakamega, the capital of Western Province. I was originally an HIV\/AIDS educator but have since become affiliated with a group called KEEF: Kenya Education Endowment Fund www.kenyaeducation.org which sponsors students to go to high school in Kenya.
In 2007 quite by accident, I began a program of giving a goat to HIV+ women in nearby areas. Friends saw pictures of a goat giving ceremony I had gone to and volunteered to provide money for a goat. The idea spread and in 2008 I gave 100 goats (to) a group in Nyanza Province associated with a group called FACES (Family AIDS Care and Education Services) who have an affiliation with UBC.
In 2009 I gave over 100 goats and was invited to a goat 'passing on' ceremony where women who received goats in 2008 gave some of their goats' offspring to other women who did not receive goats in the first distribution.
It was wonderful to see how much a gift of a goat had improved the women's lives.
In 2010, I was only in Kenya for 4 months but managed to give away 200 goats including 3 breeding bucks.
We train the women on how to look after the goats, how to feed them and tell when they are ill etc. Following the training, each woman agrees to keep the goat for at least a year and bring it to a central location to be bred with a purebred Billy Goat (which we also purchase). The idea is to improve the milk production of the local goats and to provide an income for the women from the sale of goat milk. They also rent out the Billy goat to other farmers for a fee. This makes for a very happy goat!
I must say I now know more about goats than I really need to!
I have found the Kenyan Government livestock officers very helpful in training the women, purchasing the goats and doing follow up visits to make sure the goats are doing well. They do this as part of their job and seem to enjoy it.
Any help is greatly appreciated. I do this as my own project apart from the work I do for KEEF. The purchase of each local goat includes vaccinating and de-worming as well as the purchase of a rope. A purebred breeding goat costs approximately 7x that of a regular goat.
Marie MacKay
It's Easy to Get Your Goat!
For every goat purchased, you will receive a GIFT CARD that can be sent directly to your friends, family and colleagues that explains the purpose of the gift and who will benefit from it.
The cost is only $45.00
NB - Goats purchased through other organizations can cost upwards of $75 - $100. (now you know how much administration fees cost!)
All funds collected go directly to the cost of the goats and the cost of the cards/postage.
Let's support Marie and her worthwhile cause - download your form and order your goats today!
