Activity Report September 2019

THE GOAT PROJECT UGANDA

Activity Report - Dec 2018 to August 2019

INTRODUCTION AND APPRECIATION

This report covers developments in The Goat Project Uganda  (registered name: Give a Goat Ltd) from December 2018 to August 2019. Several activities were carried out that led to growth in the numbers of project centers and of women benefiting. The activities included: launching 14 new centers in northern and eastern regions; on-site monitoring visits to 30 old centers and graduating 12 beneficiaries out of the project. The number of centers grew from to 37 to 51 in this period and the total number of beneficiaries since inception picked at 737. Monitoring visits were made in December 2018, January 2019, April 2019, June 2019 and August 2019. 33 goats were returned by old beneficiaries and were passed on to new beneficiaries in old centers. Tobi, our representative in North America, was in Uganda in January 2019 and participated in opening 4 new centers and visiting 5 old centers, in northern Uganda.

Appreciation

I express my deep appreciation to all who had a hand in the progress that this report documents.

First, huge thanks go to God Almighty for all His grace and enablement that has brought the project to where it is now, benefiting and changing the lives of hundreds of women and their dependents all over Uganda.

We shall forever fondly remember and appreciate Linda Robinson who was used of God at the very beginning to initiate this Project with a donation of just a couple of goats and to grow the project to the first 4 centers. Since then, many others from around the world have made donations that have brought us were we are today. To them all, I say thank you and God bless you a million times more.

My heartfelt appreciation goes to Tobi and her family, whose contribution and co-stewarding of the Project has given it a catapultic rise from just 11 centers in mid-2017 to now 51 in August 2019. May God Almighty Himself reward you for being an instrument of hope, joy and love to hundreds of women and their families all over Uganda.

To all the volunteers all over Uganda: the board of directors; the pastors who oversee the projects in their churches and villages; the volunteers who travel with me to manage the project, including my family sometimes; to the chairpersons of beneficiary groups who work to ensure that the project policies are followed; to the local council officers who help supervise the project in their communities, etc, I express deep gratitude.

Our goal of donating goats to 10,000 women by 2027 is more within reach now than ever. With the current 51 centers, projected to rise to at least 71 by July 2020, and total number of beneficiaries rising to or above 1,000; and with the start of the return of goats in the 2x centers, we should be able to comfortably achieve our momentous goal.

My recent visits to beneficiaries who were earlier graduated out of the project went further to prove beyond any doubt that this Project works and holds the potential of radically transforming the economies and quality of life of entire rural communities in Uganda. Women who once owned nothing to their names have now purchased lands, have cows, have built houses, are educating their children, own businesses and are even providing employment in their communities.

Our success rate continues to be way higher than those of other interventions with similar goals, largely because of the model we are employing, top among which is ‘forcing’ our beneficiaries into a ‘savings scheme’ that makes the one goat they receive to multiply to at least 5 before they can begin to utilize the goats to better their lives. The impediments faced in the project so far minimal and pose no major threats to continued growth and impacts.

In this report, we share what we have been doing over the last 9 months, from December 2018 to August 2019.

              Peter Odoi

LAUNCH OF NEW CENTERS

A total of 14 new centers were opened/launched between December 2018 and June 2019. The following were the centers:

i.                    Bubenge center in Bugweri district (eastern region) opened in December 2018 with 12 goats

ii.                   Oding center in Gulu district (northern region) opened in January 2019 with 10 goats

iii.                 Oluba center in Gulu district (northern region) opened in January 2019 with 10 goats

iv.                 Bar Olam center in Omoro district (northern region) opened in January 2019 10 goats

v.                   Wang-lobo center in Omoro district (northern region) opened in January 2019 10 goats

vi.                 Nakivumbi center in Bugweri district (eastern region) opened in April 2019 12 goats

vii.               Lwatama-Kabira center Namutumba district (eastern region) opened in April 2019 10 goats

viii.             Okworo center in Pader district opened (northern region) in June 2019 10 goats

ix.                 Alim center opened in Pader district (northern region) in June 2019 10 goats

x.                   Latira center in Pader district (northern region) opened in June 2019 10 goats

xi.                 Namayinja center in Bulambuli district (eastern region) opened in June 2019 10 goats

xii.               Kanyum center in Butebo district (eastern region) opened in June 2019 10 goats

xiii.             Petete center in Butebo district (eastern region) opened in June 2019 10 goats

xiv.             Center in Kapchorwa district (eastern region) opened in June 2019 10 goats

 MONITORING, ON-SITE VISITS TO CENTERS

A total of 30 old centers (out of 37) were visited to monitor progress and check on beneficiaries. The visits were done in December 2018 and January 2019 (northern region), April 2019 (eastern region), June 2019 (central, northern and eastern regions) and August 2019 (south western region). Peter led all the monitoring visits. Tobi Moriarty who was in Uganda, accompanied by her daughter Sharifa, in January 2019 and were part of the monitoring team to 5 centers in northern Uganda and also participated in opening 4 new centers in the same region.

Below are brief outlines of findings during monitoring visits to specific centers:

a.      Koro Opong (Omoro district, northern region)

-          This center was opened in December 2017  with 10 goats and was visited on 4th January 2019 by Peter, Tobi and Sharifa.

-          All the 10 seed goats were accounted for.

-          The beneficiaries had lost 2 seed goats to deaths caused by ‘swollen stomachs’, and 1 seed goat had disappeared and couldn’t be traced. It emerged that the 2 goats whose stomachs swelled had consumed sorghum, which the locals knew caused goat bellies to swell usually resulting in death. The beneficiaries who owned the 3 seed goats had to replace them from their own means, since all the others agreed that the deaths and disappearance had been due to the beneficiaries’ negligence.

-          Beneficiaries were commended for abiding by the project policies, in immediately replacing the goats that died/disappeared. 

-          Over the period of 1 year, beneficiaries spent 46,000 Uganda Shillings on paying vets to treat sick goats. The money was contributed during monthly meetings of beneficiaries. The diseases for which the goats were treated included fevers from unknown causes and diarrhea.

-          Total births in this center was 13, but 4 died leaving 9 kids. Thus, the total number of goats, counting the 10 seed goats was 19.

-          Beneficiaries reported difficulty in finding male goats to mate with the females, resulting in some of the goats taking long to get pregnant. However, from the discussion that ensued over this matter, it was agreed that there were plenty of male goats in the village, but the affected beneficiaries were being lazy in looking for them, hoping that would result in the project providing for them a male goat. Peter emphasized that all over the country, finding male goats is never a problem and so the project does not provide those goats.

-          Tobi advised the beneficiaries to keep changing where the goats feed to minimize infection with worms, and to regularly check on tethered goats to avoid the goats strangling themselves with ropes. (1 young goat had been lost to this kind of strangulation). She also emphasized keeping dry where the goats spent nights and to not take the young goats out to graze until the dew on the grass had dried out, as dew led to peeling of the young goats’ skins. (In all subsequent visits to centers, this same advice was given to beneficiaries).

-          Beneficiaries were also advised to not deworm the goats unless there was need, like in the case of diarrhea. This was a new policy introduced in the project to minimize risks of miscarriages caused by pregnant goats being dewormed.

b.      Koro Acoyo (Omoro district, northern region)

-          This center was also visited on 4th January 2019 and had been launched in late December 2017 with 10 goats.

-          All the 10 seed goats were alive and healthy, and total number of live goat kids were 9, bringing the total number of goats in this center to 19.

-          One of the seed goats had died by self-strangulation from the rope the goat was tethered to. The beneficiary replaced the goat from her own means.

-          1 beneficiary, Santa Alonyo, had died in October 2018. Her goat had not been passed on to any other person, because the center leaders had not been sure how to handle the situation correctly. Peter instructed that a female next of kin to the deceased beneficiary be immediately identified so the goat can be passed on to the relative; and if no such eligible person existed, the goat was to be returned to the center and given to a new beneficiary.

-          The beneficiary group was meeting monthly (last Sunday of the month) and making monetary contributions for the treatment of the goats as need arose. Their secretary was a man, contrary to project policy.  A female secretary from among the beneficiaries was immediately elected.

-          The beneficiaries reported sicknesses that affected the goats as diarrhea, cough and tumors. Most of the disease attacks were not serious and were treated by the local vet.

-          A beneficiary whose goat developed a tumor on the lower jaw, personally made a small incision into the swelling with a syringe, leading to out-flow of pus. She then sprinkled the powder of an amoxicillin capsule into the incision. The goat recovered, later produced a kid and was again pregnant. (This method of treatment was regularly used by locals in the area to treat such tumors).

c.       Lapeta (Gulu district, northern region)

-          This center was a year old, having been opened in January 2018 and was visited on 5th January 2019 by Peter, Tobi and Sharifa.

-          All the seed goats were accounted for and thriving

-          2 goats had not had kids yet. The beneficiaries who owned these goats said the goats had been young when they received them. Peter, however, countered that excuse, observing that even if the goats had been young, by this time they should at least be pregnant since they were at the very least 15 months old or more. (First births of local breed goats should happen at between 15 and 18 months of age). Another beneficiary pointed to lack of a male goat as the reason her goat wasn’t yet pregnant. But the other beneficiaries refused to accept that explanation since male goats were abundant in the village.

-          The other beneficiaries had between 2 and 4 goats each

-          The monitoring team visited the homes of 3 beneficiaries and saw the goats physically. Other homes were too far away. 

d.      Ajuku (Gulu district, northern region)

-           This center was opened in January 2018 with 10 goats and visited on 5th January 2019

-          All the seed goats were alive and had reproduced to between 2 and 4 goats each.

-          One beneficiary had died and the husband to the deceased’s daughter came to meet the monitoring team to know what the fate of the goat (and its kid) was to be. Peter instructed that the goat be passed on to the deceased woman’s daughter and she should begin to participate in the meetings of the beneficiaries.

-          A male community member who came to the meeting advised that the policy of beneficiaries growing their single goat to a herd of 7, then returning 2 and remaining with 5, before being permitted to use the goats as they saw fit was not viable because of the time involved in the process. He suggested that once the beneficiary returns 2 goats, she should be given full ownership of the remaining ones, whether just one or more. He apparently spoke for a number of the beneficiaries and other community members present, as they nodded in agreement. Peter explained that the average number of years required to grow one goat to a herd of 7 was 3 years, if the goat (s) had only 1 kid at a time. If the goats birthed twins or triplets, the time would be shorter. Second, Peter emphasized that the policy of growing herds to at least 5 (after returning 2) was to ensure that the project actually led to meaningful impacts compared to other similar projects that the beneficiaries knew about: where people were gifted animals and left to do with as they wished. Usually, they got rid of the animals at the slightest excuse, like killing an animal to entertain visitors, and thus remained in their prior state. Peter gave testimonies from other centers, of how after beneficiaries assumed full ownership of 5 or more goats, they used proceeds from their goats to buy cows, build houses, start businesses, and thus actually experienced change in their incomes and quality of life. And so because of the project’s purpose of achieving actual life changes, the policy had to be observed. Moreover, the beneficiaries had been fully explained to from the beginning why this policy was in place.

e.      Laro (Gulu district, northern region)

-          This center was opened in January 2018 and visited on 5th January 2019, by Peter, Tobi and Sharifa.

-          All the original 10 seed goats were alive and thriving, and had multiplied to between 2 and 5.

-          The single most remarkable story from this center was how the beneficiaries had mobilized funds from among themselves and bought for each of themselves an extra female goat. This innovation arose out of their monthly meetings. The group leader explained how they came to the idea: When the Goat project was launched in their community, and they were each gifted with one goat, they were challenged that people from far away who did not know anything about them had cared so much as to go to them and donate to them. Being that they live in a suburb of Gulu town, they knew that others further out in the villages were in worse situations than them. They thus determined to return the generosity that had been shown to them by also giving to others less able than themselves. So in their monthly meetings, they contributed enough money to buy one goat per month, and in 10 months, they had bought 10 goats, one for each of them. Their goal was that when these goats reproduced, they would take the kids and find a poorer rural community and gift the goats to a group of 10 women, thereby launching their own Goat project center. The second births of the goats would be gifted to their church leader to decide what to do with them. The monitoring team were very impressed by this apparent impact of the Project that had not been intended or envisioned. Peter observed that the practice of beneficiaries meeting regularly in centers was leading to several unplanned impacts such as this one, as the women got together, discussed issues affecting their lives and came up with viable solutions. He pointed out Semuto and Aboke centers were the beneficiaries were pooling together monetary savings and lending out to others in their communities at interest.

f.        Izinga  - (Namutumba district, Eastern region)

-          This center was opened in April 2018 and visited on 11th April 2019 by Peter and a team of volunteers.

-          The 12 seed goats with which the center was opened were all accounted for and were thriving. 3 beneficiaries had sold off their seed goats and bought replacements because the seed goats they had been given were not conceiving after being exposed to males several times.

-          Beneficiaries had between 2 and 4 goats each, and most of the seed goats were heavily pregnant again for the second or third times.

-          Monitoring team visited 9 homes of beneficiaries and physically inspected the goats.

-          The group was meeting monthly, and the chairperson was very active, visiting each beneficiary in their homes once a month to monitor how they were handling the goats.

 -          Deaths had included a set of twins birthed by one goat. But that goat had since birthed a set of triplets and so the beneficiary had 4 goats

-          The husband of one beneficiary whose seed goat’s first birth was a male which was now over 10 months old, had stopped his wife from swapping it for a female because he wanted to keep the male. Peter reminded the husband that the project was for women, and while his support was appreciated, he had no rights over the goats and his wife had to abide by the project policies. He apologized and promised that he would help the woman find a female to swap with the male so that the herd could multiply faster.

g.       Kalamba (Mubende district, Central region)

-          Kalamba center was visited on 1st of June 2019. This center was launched in August 2017 with 7 seed goats. Since then, the center had never been physically visited, but the beneficiaries had been meeting regularly and sending reports to Kampala office.

-          1 beneficiary had disappeared with her seed goat and could not be traced. The pastor promised that he was going to continue searching for her until she would be located and made to return or replace the goat.

3 beneficiaries had since returned goats which had been passed on to new beneficiaries. On the day of the visit, 2 more beneficiaries brought back goats which were given to others in Peter’s presence. The center thus had a total of 12 beneficiaries. (This is a 1x center).

-          Beneficiaries had between 2 and 4 goats each.

-          Peter appreciated the beneficiaries for following project policies faithfully despite not being physically visited by project officers for over a year. He promised that from then on, visits would be more regular.

h.      Kasenke (Mubende district, central region)

-          This center was visited on 1st June 2019. It had been launched in May 2016 with 10 seed goats.

-          5 beneficiaries returned goats that day, that were passed on to new beneficiaries.

-          3 beneficiaries had earlier returned goats and given them out to others, and so the center has 18 beneficiaries in total.

-          Many of the first births of seed goats had been male kids, which had not been swapped for females, slowing the rate of multiplication. Being that this center was now 3 years old, most of the beneficiaries should have been ready or about to be ready for graduation.

-          1 beneficiary had 6 goats and was graduated that day.

-          The others had between 2 and 4 goats each.

-          Beneficiaries reported that because their seed goats had been bought from a farm, they took time to get used to being reared singly and tethered to ropes, and this change probably traumatized the goats and caused them to take long to conceive.

-          1 beneficiary had abandoned her marital home and her husband had refused to release the goats the woman left behind. Peter instructed that the local council authorities should be engaged to make him release the goats. They promised to do so but with much apprehension as the said husband was known to be a difficult person in the neighborhood who loved to fight and cause scenes.

i.        Semuto (Nakeseke district, Central region)

-          This center was visited on 2nd June 2019. It was launched in August 2017 with 10 seed goats.

-          These goats had been bought from a farm and beneficiaries in this center too reported that the goats took a long time to get used to being tethered to ropes and being reared singly. 1 beneficiary said her goat had till then refused to eat banana peelings which is the dominant feed for goats in the community.

-          5 beneficiaries returned goats that day which were given to new beneficiaries bringing the total number of beneficiaries in the center to 15.

-          After returning a goat, 1 beneficiary had 4 goats remaining, with two heavily pregnant. She was thus expecting to have more than 5 goats in a few months and thus be ready for graduation.

-          1 beneficiary had a goat which was for returning but had since become pregnant. She said she wasn’t willing to give back a pregnant goat. After a long explanation that she had to abide by project policies and that it was a blessing for her to gift another woman with a pregnant goat, she reluctantly relented and gave away the goat.

-          The center is doing well in general and in a year or so, at least half of the beneficiaries should be ready for graduation

j.        Aboke (Kole district, northern region)

-          This center was visited on 6th June 2019 by Peter and a team of volunteers.

-          Out of the 10 seed goats given to beneficiaries when the center was launched in January 2018, 4 goats had died leaving 6. Causes of deaths were: 1 goat was killed by a jealousy neighbor after the goat strayed into the neighbor’s garden; 1 died as it was giving birth; another died because of ‘much fat’ and one ‘died out in the field’ for unknown reason. The center pastor reported that she had been telling the beneficiaries to replace the goats from their own means, as the church couldn’t afford to, but they had been procrastinating. The beneficiary whose goat ‘died out in the field’ was no longer cooperating. The affected beneficiaries lamented that they had wanted to replace the goats but had failed to do so, and were waiting to harvest their crops, sell the produce and buy goats to replace the dead ones. Peter observed that some of the goats had died up to six months earlier and should have been replaced by now. He threatened to close the center if the beneficiaries were not serious about following project rules. The pastor pleaded that the center should not be closed, and that she was going to have to get goats from her own means if necessary, to replace the dead goats. The center is made up of mainly elderly widows. After some discussion, Peter offered to contribute to each of the 3 beneficiaries present whose goats had died, half of the money required to purchase the goats if they were willing to immediately contribute the remaining money. They took this offer and the pastor promised to buy the goats within one week, which she did. (Peter emphasized that this kind of contribution was a one-off and not the norm in the project, only because the affected beneficiaries appeared genuinely unable to replace the goats from their own means and yet desired to continue being in the project).The beneficiary who was not cooperating was to be followed up, with the help of the local council authorities, to see if she still wanted to be part of the project, and if she wasn’t, then she was to be compelled to replace the goat that had died in her custody.

-          The remaining 6 seed goats in this center were thriving.

-          3 of the goats had produced twin kids that were all alive. 1 beneficiary had a total of 4 goats and the seed goat was pregnant the third time.

-          There was no report of diseases. 

k.      Puranga (Pader district, Northern region)

-          This center was visited on 7th June 2019 by Peter and a team of volunteers. This is one of the oldest centers, opened in January 2014.

-          The main activity here was graduating 5 beneficiaries. The following beneficiaries were graduated:

a.      Akello Florence, graduated with 8 goats

b.      Acam Betty, graduated with 7 goats

c.       Aweko Sarah (15-year-old total orphan) graduated with 6 goats

d.      Rose Alimo graduated with 8 goats

e.      Lucy graduated with 6 goats.

-          Peter also visited two beneficiaries who had been earlier graduated to find out how they were doing. One, who had been graduated in 2017 when she had 10 goats had gone on to breed her goats till they were over 20. She sold some of the goats and bought iron sheets for a permanent house, apparently one of the very few such houses in the village. Another who had bought a cow from sale of her goats had a total of 3 cows and 6 goats.

-          2 goats were returned in this center and passed on to new beneficiaries.

-          2 beneficiaries who had been due to return goats had been renegading on their promise for months. On this day, they had once again promised to return the goats but didn’t and on checking, they were absent from their homes. The center pastor was tasked to involve the local council leaders to follow up the women and make them abide by the project policies and be compelled to return the goats in their custody.

-          2 beneficiaries who a year earlier had been reported to have relocated very far from the project

 center were traced to be living in other districts and had grown their herds of goats to over 5. One of them had 8 goats. Since they had returned 1 goat already (this is 1x center), they were counted from then on as having been graduated.

-          This center’s statistics now stands at: total number of beneficiaries: 52; total graduated: 27

l.        Bolo center (Pader district, northern region)

-          This center was visited on 8th June 2019 by Peter and a team of volunteers

-          All the seed goats were accounted for and were reproducing.

-          The total number of goats in the center was 35, up from 10 when the center was launched in January 2018.

-          One beneficiary, Alice Aloyo’s goat had already reproduced to 7 in 1.5 years. The goat reproduced twin kids twice, and one of the kids had also birthed twins. She could have had more goats if she had exchanged 1 male kid for a female. She said her secret was in taking great care of her goats, including promptly treating them for any diseases. She emphasized to other beneficiaries the importance of making sure their goats were well fed, had enough water, spent nights in clean places and were promptly treated when they fell sick.

-          Other beneficiaries had between 2 and 5 goats each.

-          A total of 3 goat deaths had been registered. 2 kids died and 1 seed goat died soon after it gave birth. The beneficiary sold the carcass of the dead seed goat and used the proceeds to buy another goat.

-          1 beneficiary whose husband sold her seed goat and was forced by the local council authorities to replace it with 2 goats (1 as penalty) had done so, but one of the goats had ‘disappeared’, and the remaining one was heavily pregnant. Peter tasked the group leaders to investigate if the husband had been responsible for the disappearance.

-          The group was meeting monthly and making contributions for the treatment of their goats. The husband of the secretary had volunteered to go around to treat any goats that had sicknesses. So far the main ‘treatment’ was spraying the goats against ticks and a few goats had had diarrhea.  

-          Several of the kids were males. Peter reminded the beneficiaries that all male goats had to be exchanged for females unless a beneficiary had reached the threshold of 7 goats and had 2 females ready to be returned to the project.

m.    Angole center (Pader district, northern region).

-          This center was also visited on 8th June 2019 by Peter and team.

-          The goats were doing well in this center and had multiplied from 10 when the center was opened in January 2018 to 32.

-          One beneficiary, Akanyo Nighty, had 6 goats. Her goat’s first birth were twins. One of the twins, a male, died soon after. But the female had grown and had also had twins. The seed goat’s 2nd birth was a set of triplets, one of which had died, leaving her with 6 goats !

-          2 beneficiaries in this center had 4 goats each, 3 beneficiaries had 3 goats each and 1 beneficiary still had only 1 goat which was pregnant. This was because the seed goat she was given went back to its original owners where it was purchased from, and they claimed they never saw the goat. The church purchased a goat and gave it to the beneficiary to replace the ‘lost’ one.  

-          1 beneficiary’s seed goat gave birth to a male kid the first time, which was exchanged for a female, which had since had twins. Unfortunately, the seed goat died when it was about to give birth to tripplets. The beneficiary as a result had 3 goats. The cause of the death was not established as no vet was consulted. The beneficiaries took the death as a regular misfortune that happened to other goat owners in the village and so they saw no need of consulting a vet. Peter told them next time something like that happens, they should consult a vet to find out if such deaths can be avoided.

-          1 goat had a miscarriage and 3 deaths of kids had been registered in this center

-          The beneficiaries were meeting monthly and their pastor was very much involved in supervising them and overseeing the project. They spray their goats against ticks regularly.

 n.      Otuboi (Kaberamaido district, Eastern region)

-          Otuboi center in Kaberamaido district was visited on 16th June 2019 by Peter and a team of volunteers.

-          This center was opened in December 2017. The center had experienced no death nor loss of any of the 10 seed goats.

-          Several of the goats had birthed twins.

-          Amenya Beatrice already had 8 goats. Her seed goat’s first birth was a set of twins – male and female. The second birth too was a set of twins. The female from the first birth had also since birthed twins. She swapped the male kid with a female which had also birthed a kid.

-          One beneficiary, Brenda Alako had 5 goats, all females, but that was because her seed goat’s first birth was a set of triplets, out of which 2 died. The second birth too was triplets.

-          The other beneficiaries had between 3 and 5 goats each.

-          One beneficiary had exchanged one of her goats for a sheep, because she felt sheep multiply faster. Peter instructed the group leaders to ensure she either replaces the goat swapped for a sheep or sells the sheep and buys a goat. She was advised to wait since she already had 3 female goats, and when she restored the one swapped for sheep, she would have 4 females which would make her very close to having enough goats to be graduated and then she could do whatever she wanted. Peter emphasized that the project is dealing only in goats and beneficiaries weren’t permitted to get rid of the goats in any way until they were graduated.

-          The beneficiaries were meeting once a month. They didn’t have a chairperson or secretary, and so the pastor had been responsible for all the supervision of the project. Peter directed that there had to be a chairperson from within the group of beneficiaries. Before the meeting ended, the group elected from among themselves a chairperson, treasurer and secretary.

o.      Ojago (Soroti district, eastern region)

-          This center was launched in July 2018 with 13 seed goats and was visited on June 15th 2019 by Peter and a team.

-          Most of the seed goats had given birth once to single kids and so beneficiaries had 2 goats each, but most seed goats were pregnant the second time.

-          2 beneficiaries had 3 goats each.

-          2 beneficiaries still had only the seed goat, though pregnant. One of the goats had miscarried twins but was pregnant again.

-          The problem beneficiaries reported in this center was ticks. Debate over this issue was concluded that spraying the goats against ticks was a simple and cheap procedure and beneficiaries who were complaining had to be more responsible.

-          Peter emphasized that all male kids must be swapped for females as soon as they were mature enough to fetch a good price.

p.      Ilanyo (Soroti district, eastern region)

-          This center in Soroti district was visited on 15th June 2019 by Peter and team.

-          It was also opened in July 2018, with 13 seed goats. All the seed goats were alive and thriving.

-          2 seed goats had not yet given birth. Reason given was that they had not been regularly exposed to males. Some beneficiaries suggested they might be barren. Peter instructed that if a goat was exposed to a male a few times and failed to conceive, it was to be swapped for another or sold off and another bought, so that the beneficiaries do not lag behind in growing their herds.

-          1 beneficiary in this center had 5 goats. Her seed goat first birthed a female which had since also had a kid. The seed goat’s second birth was twins.

-          1 beneficiary said her goat birthed a kid which was healthy but after some months, the kid died of ‘too much fat’. (Locals explained this ‘too much fat’ phenomenon as something that killed goats and they didn’t know what it caused. When the goats were cut open, a lot of fat would be found inside their bodies}.

-          Most beneficiaries had 2 goats each (seed goat and kid) and the mothers were again pregnant.

-          Beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the Goat Project and the donors that made it possible for them to have goats to rear for income.

q.      Omulayi (Soroti district, eastern region).

-         This center was also visited on 15th June 2019. It had been opened as well in July 2018 with 13 seed goats.

-          1 seed goat died in May 2019 but was immediately replaced. Thus, all seed goats were accounted for.

-          1 beneficiary had exchanged her seed goat for a sheep, which she intended to rear following the project policies of growing herd to 7, returning 2 sheep and remaining with 5. Peter instructed that she immediately bring back the goat by either selling the sheep and buying a goat or replacing it from another means. He emphasized that the project was dealing in goats and not sheep.

-          8 beneficiaries still had just only the seed goats but they were all said to be pregnant. The rest of the beneficiaries had 2 goats each (seed goat and kid). All the kids were males.

-          1 beneficiary’s seed goat birthed twins but 1 of the kids died, so she had 2 goats.

-          The center had no active chairperson though one had been elected, because the church policy stipulated that all projects in the church had to be managed by a church officer with the title of development officer who as a man. Peter asked that just for the project, a woman within the group had to be elected as chairperson and she would work with the church officer. The beneficiaries elected a chairperson, secretary and treasurer.

r.       Sironko  (Sironko district, eastern region)

-          There are 3 centers close to each other in areas surrounding Sironko town, namely, Mugini, Tudoba and Mercers. These centers were opened in July 2018, with a total number of beneficiaries at 42.

-          Half of the beneficiaries came to Budoba to meet the visiting team led by Peter. This was on 19th June 2019.

-          The chairpersons of the beneficiary groups gave reports of progress in their centers

-          All the seed goats were accounted 4. 3 had died but had been replaced.

-          Out of 42 goats, 18 had not had kids but were all reported pregnant

-          2 beneficiaries had 4 goats each. The rest had 2 or 3

-          Peter expressed disappointment at not having all beneficiaries turn up for the meeting. Excuses given included beneficiaries having sick relatives, being busy in gardens weeding crops, etc

-          Bishop Fred, who leads the 3 churches offered apologies and promised to personally visit each of the 3 centers, meet all beneficiaries and send Peter a report.

s.       Kapwatai (Butebo district, eastern region)

-          This center was opened in June 2018 and was visited on 17th June 2019 by Peter and team

-          All the 14 seed goats with which the center was opened were accounted for.

-          1 seed goat had died during childbirth. On opening its tummy, it had 6 kids in it! The carcass was sold and the money used to buy another goat, which the beneficiary didn’t know whether or not was pregnant.

-          1 seed goat was stolen but replaced by the beneficiary, since the others agreed the theft was due to her neglect.

-          1 beneficiary complained that her goat didn’t drink water that had no soap in it.

-          The chairperson of the group had 5 goats in total. Her seed goat had birthed twins twice.

-          Another also had 5 goats because her goat had birthed 1 kid and then a set of tripplets. This particular woman was so excited and she burst into tears as she expressed gratitude to the Goat Project, revealing that she had never owned any animal of her own, and now, she was the proud owner of 5 goats! Because of the goats, her husband was appreciating her more as also contributing to the family wealth, at last!

-          3 seed goats had never got pregnant. Reasons given were that the goats were still young when beneficiaries received them and also that male goats were rare. Peter responded that after 1 year, even a goat that was a month old when it was given should at least be pregnant. He emphasized the need of exposing the goats to males frequently, and if after several attempts, they fail to conceive, then the group should work together to either swap it for another female or sell and buy another goat. The issue of lack of male goats was discounted by the other beneficiaries as well. The affected beneficiary was urged to take more responsibility in finding male goats for her goat, since the males are abundant in the community.

-          A total of 8 beneficiaries still had only the seed goats, 5 of which were confirmed pregnant

Kagali (Bugiri district, Eastern region)

-          The center was visited on 23rd June 2019 by Peter and a team.

-          It was opened in July 2018, making it a year old

-          All the 12 seed goats with which center was opened were accounted for

-          8 goats had produced kids and the remaining 4 were pregnant. 1 goat had birthed triplets that were all healthy.

-          1 beneficiary had 4 goats; 2 had 3 goats each; 4 had 2 goats each and the rest still had only the seed goats.

-          Beneficiaries suggested that once they return the two goats as per project requirements, they should be allowed to be graduated with 4 remaining instead of 5. Their reason was that being that they lived in a semi-urban area, they didn’t have space to have up to 5 goats at once. Peter responded that at the launch of the center, they were clearly asked if they thought they would manage to rear up to 7 goats at a given time, and they all said they would, and that was why were given a center. If they didn’t have space, they should never have accepted the project. They then promised to follow the project policy.

t.       Kagando (Mbarara district, south western region)

-          This center was visited on 24th August by Peter and team.

-          Out of 8 seed goats, 6 were accounted for. 1 seed goat had died two weeks after being given to a beneficiary, due to ‘misfortune’. (Peter offered that a possible reason could have been change of environment since the goats were bought from a farm). Another developed a ‘swollen head’ and died. The church should have replaced these goats but had not. The pastor promised to immediately work on replacing the goats

-          3 beneficiaries returned goats which were given to new beneficiaries

-          1 beneficiary was graduated with 5 goats. She shared her plan which was to keep growing her herd till they reach a number that she would sell some and build for herself a more decent house.

Katukukuru (Mbarara district, South western region

-          The center was visited on 25th August 2019 by Peter and team of volunteers.

-          This was the very first center of the Goat Project, where the project was first started as a pilot arrangement with 6 goats in November 2011, and later launched as the first center in January 2013.

-          By August 2019, the center boasted a total of 69 beneficiaries, out of whom 30 had been graduated.

-          On this visit, 5 more beneficiaries were graduated.

-          4 goats were returned and given to new beneficiaries.

-          Other 6 beneficiaries were due to return goats but didn’t show up. Peter directed the center leaders to ensure the 6 goats are passed on to new beneficiaries and a report and photographs sent to him.

-          Theft of goats had been a menacing problem in this center for a long time, but in the preceding 1 year, no project goat was reported stolen. No deaths of any goats were also reported.

-          2 beneficiaries had ‘disappeared’ with goats and couldn’t be traced. The center leaders promised to keep trying to locate them.

-          The group chairperson reported that all the 36 beneficiaries earlier released from the project were still rearing goats. 3 of them had bought land from proceeds of their goats. She herself had built a permanent house, was rearing pigs which she bought after selling some of her goats, and still had 7 goats.  One woman who in 2.5 years grew her herd to 12 goats, had 3 cows (2 of them lactating and thus producing milk which she sold for daily income and for her family’s use) and still had 4 goats.

Kicwamba (Mbarara district, Southwestern region)

-          This center was visited on 26th August by Peter and his team of volunteers

-          All the 11 goats with which this center was opened in November 2017 were accounted for

-          8 beneficiaries returned goats which they gave to others. The remaining 3 beneficiaries said their goats for returning where still young

-          The center leaders reported no problem, especially since their pastor is the local village vet and therefore helps them with caring for their goats

GOATS RETURNED BY BENEFICIARIES

A total of 33 goats were returned by beneficiaries and given out to new beneficiaries in the following centers:  

i.              Kasenke center in Mubende district – 5 goats

ii.             Kalamba center in Mubende district – 5 goats

iii.           Semuto center in Nakeseke district  –  5 oats

iv.           Puranga center in Pader district - 2 goats

v.             Katukuru center in Mbarara district – 4 goats

vi.           Kicwamba center in Mbarara district – 8 goats

vii.         Kagando center in Mbarara district – 4 goats

6 beneficiaries in Katukuru center were ready and due to return goats but were unable to do so on the day Peter visited the center. Instructions were left with the center leaders to receive the returned goats and pass them on the new beneficiaries as soon as possible.

GRADUATED BENEFICIARIES

A total of 12 beneficiaries were graduated out of the project as follows:

i.              In June 2019, one beneficiary in Kasenke center (Mubende district) and 5 beneficiaries in Puranga center (Pader district) were graduated out of the project.

ii.             In August 2019, 5 beneficiaries in Katukuru center (Mbarara district) and 1 beneficiary in Kagando center (Mbarara district) were graduated. 

The beneficiaries had between 5 and 8 goats each. They were all from 1x centers and had taken an average of 3 years to grow their herds to the required 5 or more goats, after returning 1 goat.

The plans the graduated beneficiaries had for their herds of goats included:

i.                    One woman planned to keep growing her herd of 6 goats to 20+ and then sell some from time to time to pay for her children’s education in university (She had 3 children in high school who would soon join university).

ii.                   Another woman who was living in a shack said she would grow her herd to a number that she will be able to sell some and build a better house for herself and her children.

iii.           Several of the women said they will be selling the goats from time to time to pay school fees for their children. A 15 year total orphan in Puranga said at last she was sure of being able to raise termly school fees for herself and her 2 siblings. She was graduated with 6 goats.

iv.           One woman said she will sell some goats and open up a ‘boutique’ (2nd hand clothes business) in her village

v.             A few said they definitely will buy cows so they can have milk for their young children

vi.           One in Kasenke center said she was going to sell her goats, buy hens and open a poultry farm

The total number of graduated beneficiaries since inception of the project stood at 64, out of a total number of 737 who have so far received goats.

CHANGE OF POLICIES

Changes were introduced into the project to enhance results, including:

i.                    Stopping routine de-worming of goats. The practice/policy of routine deworming of newly purchased goats before giving them out to beneficiaries was ended. This came about because many goats were having miscarriages. Inquiries from vets and also local people suggested this could be partly because goats bought from markets were not used to routine deworming (most peasant goat keepers do not routinely deworm their goats) and so when we dewormed them for the first time, they experienced trauma in their bodies that could have contributed to the miscarriages. A marked decrease of miscarriages was noticed with stoppage of routine deworming, especially of pregnant goats, unless there was obvious need like in cases of diarrhea, etc. Beneficiaries were, instead advised on practices of avoiding their goats being infested with worms, including ensuring that the goats fed in different locations every day, so they do not eat grass with their droppings; that the goats spent nights on dry grounds, not places soaked with their urine and dung.

ii.                  Reverting to returning first born goats in 1x centers. In 1x centers, beneficiaries observed and complained that the policy of beneficiaries returning 2nd born goats instead of the 1st born (this policy had been introduced in January 2018) was slowing the rate of growth of number of beneficiaries in centers and causing apathy and diminished interest overall in the project, as the expectations of women waiting to receive returned goats was not forthcoming soon enough. The beneficiaries therefore requested to revert back to the policy of first borns of seed of goats being returned to be given out, instead of 2nd born, to keep everyone engaged in the affairs of the project. This request was made in 5 of the 1x centers and so it was granted. In 2x centers, the policy of returning 2nd born goats and 5th goat in line of multiplication of goats remained.

BENEFICIARY NUMBERS

By mid-August 2019, the total number of individuals so far benefited by the Project was 737. 64 of these had been graduated, leaving 673 active beneficiaries in 51 centers.

CHALLENGES REPORTED

There were several challenges encountered in the management and operations of the project, as enumerated below:

a.      A total of 21 losses of seed goats were reported in 13 centers, mainly to deaths  15 of the  goats had been replaced either by affected beneficiaries or center churches, and 3 were to be replaced immediately after the visits to the affected centers. Efforts were being made to trace 3 beneficiaries who ‘disappeared’ with seed goats.

LOSS OF SEED GOATS

Koro Opong: 3 goats: 2 died and 1 ‘disappeared’; All replaced by beneficiaries

Aboke: 4 goats died; 3 replaced; 1 not replaced

Koro Acoyo: 1 death by rope strangulation;Replaced by beneficiary

Bolo: 1 goat died as it gave birth; Replaced by beneficiary

Angole: 1 goat disappeared and 1 died as  2nd birth; Disappeared goat replaced by church

Omulayi : 1 goat died; Replaced by beneficiary

Sironko centers: 3 goats died; Replaced by beneficiaries

Kapwatai: 1 goat died during birth; Replaced by beneficiary

Kagando: 2 goats died; Not replaced. To be replaced by Church

Lumpewe: 1 goat died; Not replaced. To be replaced by church

Kalamba: 1 goat disappeared (with beneficiary); Not replaced

Katukuru: 1 goat disappeared (with beneficiary); Not replaced

Semuto: 1 seed goat was stolen; Replaced by beneficiary

a. The worst case of loss of seed goats was in Aboke center were 4 seed goats died. In other centers, seed goats that were lost to death or other means were replaced by either the beneficiaries or the churches/centers in compliance with project policies. In Lumpewe center, the center leaders said they had forgotten about the duty of the church to replace any stolen or dead seed goats. The pastor promised to get the church to immediately purchase a goat and give it to the beneficiary.

There were 2 cases of beneficiaries who ‘disappeared’ with their seed-goats (1 in Kalamba and 1 in Katukuru centers). The center pastors were taxed to keep tracing the beneficiaries and if found, be compelled to return the goats so they can be given to new beneficiaries.

b. In Puranga center, 2 beneficiaries had refused to return goats. They were no longer attending beneficiary group meetings and were not cooperating with the center pastor and beneficiary leaders. Involvement of the local council leaders had not yet yielded results. The project leaders in the area were to continue following up the women till they returned the goats in their possession or replace the seed goats if they no longer exist.

c.          In Puranga center, 2 beneficiaries who relocated to places very far from the center had been traced and found to have grown their herds to over 5 each. One of them had over 8 goats (after she had sold some). The beneficiaries, however, were not co-operative and unresponsive to communications from the project leaders. Since they had returned 1 goat each to the project, and had grown their herds to more than 5, they were counted as having been graduated. Peter, however, emphasized that active beneficiaries should regularly be reminded that if they must relocate their residences to places far off from the project centers, they should hand over the goats in their possession to the project leaders before they leave.

d.      Theft of goats were reported in Semuto and Lumpewe centers in Nakeseke district (central region). The stolen goats were 4 in total. In Semuto center, 1 seed goat that was stolen was replaced by the beneficiary.

e.      The performance of Ruti center remained a key problem. The center was opened in January 2014 but not one beneficiary has since been graduated. 14 goats that belonging to 7 beneficiaries were stolen from a farm where they were all being kept. Peter met with the center pastor and project leaders and expressed great concern and disappointment at the performance of the center. Apparently, follow up of beneficiaries was not being taken seriously, and so it appeared beneficiaries got rid of goats from time to time, so that their herds never grew, contrary to project policy. Peter observed that closing the center for non-performance was going to be a big blow to the project, which had a total of 31 beneficiaries by January 2018. The pastor asked to be given time to engage his church members to come up with a forward on how to replace the stolen goats and offer an alternative ideas on how the project can keep running in the center.

PROJECTED DEVELOPMENTS

a.      Growth is projected to continue in numbers of centers and beneficiaries. With the expected addition of at least 20 new centers by July 2020, the number of centers will pick at 71 minimum, and the number of beneficiaries at over 950.  

b.      As beneficiaries in 2x centers begin to return goats from December 2019, the number of beneficiaries in those centers will begin to multiply as well, with the signing of new beneficiaries receiving the returned goats. It is projected that at  least 20 2x centers that were opened in January and July 2018 will have minimums of 5 goats each returned to give to new beneficiaries by July 2020, adding additional 100 beneficiaries to the project.

c.       With the projected beginning of the return of second goats by beneficiaries in December 2020, the 2x centers will start the process of helping open new centers. At least 10 new such centers are projected to be launched by January 2021.

d.      By July 2020, at least 30 more beneficiaries will be graduated out of the project, including some from 2x centers. This projection is based on the fact that in 3 centers of 2x models, by June 2019, there were beneficiaries who already had between 5 and 8 goats each. These will definitely be graduated either by January 2020 or July 2020.

e.      Avenues for raising funds to manage the project will continue to be explored. As the project continues to grow and the numbers of beneficiaries multiply, administrative work will increase, especially in on-site, monitoring visits to centers, requiring more funding

f.        At least 1 other full-time worker will be recruited to help Peter with the day to day running of the project, as the workload gets heavier.

g.       More research will continually be done on best practice of rearing goats of local Ugandan breeds, and relevant and feasible ideas adopted into the Project.

h.      From January 2020, each center will be availed with a note book and file-folder bearing the project logo, for record keeping in the centers.

i.        A graduation certificate will be designed to hand to beneficiaries as they graduate, that they can frame and hang on their walls. Apart from being a source of pride for the beneficiaries, it will be a reminder to them that they should use their goats in ways that actually help improve their quality of life.

j.        Pastors and chairpersons of centers will be brought together in the different regions for at least one day of meeting for purpose of creating synergy among them as stakeholders in the project, and to compare notes and learn from one another best practices from the experiences in the different centers.

 TESTIMONIES OF IMPACT

Akello Florence's  Story

My husband passed on after a short illness, leaving me a young widow with 5 children aged between 5 and 14 years. He left me with nothing, apart from a small piece of land and a few huts. I was frightened. How was I going to raise 5 kids all by myself in the harsh post-war environment of Acholiland?

Before my husband's death, I had become an active member of a small community church in our village. The Goat Project had earlier been launched in our community but since I was then married and there were other women - widows and single mothers - who were considered more needy than me, I had not benefited.

In June 2015, months after the demise of my husband, my pastor, Francis, informed me that I was to receive a goat that had been returned by a beneficiary of the Goat Project. I was grateful, although only mildly because I knew the goat wouldn't help me meet the numerous immediate needs I had. It was better than nothing though, and it was good that I was now going to have an animal of my own to rear. My kids would be excited looking after the goat too!

My goat soon produced a kid and we were very excited as a family, but unfortunately, during the dry season, when all the people with goats in our village normally let them roam around freely, the kid got lost. Months later, the goat had a second birth - twin kids, both of them female. Now I had 3 female goats. The goat's third birth were also twins. In May 2019, the goat had another kid (fourth birth), and one of the twin kids from the second birth also had a kid. Now, I had 8 goats in total, with 3 of them pregnant and soon having kids too.

In June 2019, officers from the Goat Project Uganda came to my home to hand over to me the goats officially, in accordance with the rules that govern the project. I gave them back one goat which they gave to a neighbor of mine and so now I have 7 goats. It has taken 4 years to get to this milestone, but that was because the firstborn kid got lost, otherwise, I should have been graduated much earlier.

I am so excited. I feel rich. From zero, now I have 7 goats and in a short while, I will be having at least 10 of them, when the 3 pregnant ones produce. I am full of plans now that the goats are fully mine. First, I am definitely going to sell some goats and buy a cow so my kids can have milk. And of course, the cow too will reproduce so I see myself owning a number of cows in a few years’ time. Then, I will keep selling the remaining goats from to time for the education of my children. I will never ever stop rearing goats.

And to top it all, I recently met another man and am now married again! The future is bright. Thank you and God bless all who support the Goat Project. I am very grateful!!!

 Aweko Sarah’s testimony.

Aweko Sarah is a 15-year old orphan. She lost both of her parents to AIDS, before she was 10. Her maternal grandfather took up caring for her and her two younger siblings but unfortunately he too soon passed on. Thus, at the tender age of 9, Sarah found herself as the child-head of their household. She had to fend for herself and her brother and sister.

When we launched the Goat Project in her community, the pastor of the local church chose Aweko as one of the beneficiaries. She was given a she-goat. The pastor was confident that with the maturity beyond her years she had shown in caring for her siblings, 11-year old Sarah would manage to take care of the goat.

Sometime after, Sarah's maternal aunt came back to her ancestral home and inherited the deceased grandfather's land and huts in which the 3 kids lived. She started caring for them, but life remained hard.

Sarah's goat produced and multiplied to 4. She brought back one goat which was given to another beneficiary, in accordance with Project rules. She kept rearing her remaining goats, but when a distant relative found out that the girl had a number of goats, he stole two of them. That was a major set-back, but Sarah didn't give up. She kept caring for the remaining goats.

Last week, I had the great honor of officially handing full ownership of 6 goats to now 15-year old Sarah. I was amazed at her resilience and maturity.

Sarah says she will keep rearing the goats and selling some from time to time, to raise school fees for herself and her 2 siblings. At 15, she is only in Primary 4, but she is determined to get an education, which she sees as the most viable way of ensuring the future of herself and her siblings. She has resisted advice from people that she should get married as a way of escaping her hard life, and she will continue to resist.
We so hope that the goats help her achieve her dreams. 

 Auma Santa is building a permanent house

Awuma Santa and her family had lived in semi-permanent, mud and wattle, grass-thatched houses all their life. Then the Goat Project found her and now she and her husband are building a permanent, iron-sheet roof house!

It all started in January 2014. Auma's aunt, Nighty, was gifted with a she-goat by the Goat Project. Unfortunately, Nighty soon afterward passed away, and her goat was handed to Auma, as Nighty's nearest female next of kin, in accordance with Project policies.

By March 2017, Auma had grown her initial goat into a strong herd of 10, after she returned a goat that was passed on to another woman too in the community. Peter officially graduated Auma from the Project with her 10 goats. She and her husband saw the herd as a viable boost to their long-held dream of owning a permanent house, a very rare feat in their extremely impoverished village. They kept growing their herd till they had 20 goats, and that was after they sold a couple of male goats to cater for their kids' school fees. (They sell only males and keep the females, except those that no longer reproduce!)

Through other means, they had been able to burn bricks and construct their house to roofing level. They then turned to their goats, sold a good number and put the money into purchasing iron sheets for their dream house. Although the house isn't yet complete, it is a fact that they are among the very few owners of iron-sheet permanent houses in their village.

As at June 2019, Auma still has 9 goats, all female, and their focus now is to use their goats to pay for their son's education at university (He is doing final year in high school).

All from a donation of 1 goat, only 5 years ago!!!! 

Rose Alimo’s story

Rose Alimo is a widow in Puranga, Pader district. She is a strong woman, raising her 6 children alone under very harsh circumstances.

Life dealt a hard blow to Rose early in life when she was abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army in August 1991 when she was just 13 years old. A few days after, during a fight between the rebels and government forces, she was shot in her right leg and subsequently abandoned by the rebels. Government forces found her writhing in pain in the bush and took her to a nearby military health facility where she received treatment until her relatives located her and transferred her to a hospital. Her hurt leg had to be amputated at the knee to save her life.

Years later, she got married but tragedy struck again when her husband lost his life at the hands of his own relatives due to a family dispute. And so, Rose found herself a widow, with 5 young kids and a sixth in her womb, whom she had to fend for all by herself.

Months after the death of her husband, the Goat Project overseer in Puranga center, Pr. Francis, enrolled Rose into the project in April 2015, and she was gifted with a she-goat that had been returned by another beneficiary. Despite her very dire circumstances, Rose faithfully observed the project rules, resisting the temptation to sell or get rid of any goat  her herd grew. She took great care of her goats and by March 2019, her original goat had multiplied to 8, not counting the goat that she too had gifted to another woman as per the project policy.

Today, I had the awesome privilege of handing over full ownership of the 8 goats to Rose and her children. She immediately sold 2 and cleared school dues for her children. Her dream, though is to grow her herd to 10, sell some and buy a cow, since she has young children who need milk. The experience she has gained caring for her goats has given her confidence that she can equally rear cows, which of course fetch more at the market. She will, however, ensure that she will always have goats, since they multiply quite fast.

And that is how the Goat Project is practically sharing love and giving a push to women who work so hard with so little, so they can realize the dreams they have for themselves and their families.