Gifts of Hope livestock: FAQ

When you give livestock through Gifts of Hope, you don’t just provide the animals. You also help provide training in how to care for them, access to veterinary care, and community support to make the program effective and sustainable.

• How do the gifts of livestock work?

  The animals provided are part of larger projects designed to reduce poverty through livestock productivity. For example, the $75 for a goat is used to buy goats for families, along with training, assistance with breeding, construction of animal shelters and access to veterinary supplies and drugs.

  To ensure the success of our livestock projects:

  • Families who receive an animal receive training in livestock management, production and health as a pre-condition to receiving the animals
  • Community members contribute labour and local materials to construct appropriate housing structures for the animals
  • A central community committee of trained volunteers is provided with basic veterinary training, as well as a drug kit and other supplies to support the families involved in this project
  • When the animals have offspring, one or two are passed along to other families in the community so that others will benefit – and the impact of the project continues.

  We work in cooperation with various government departments, as well as with local experts who have experience in livestock health and care.

• Why do families want livestock? How do you know the families even want them?

  Plan International doesn’t decide that people should have livestock – the community members decide. All our projects are community-driven, which means local people identify the problems and challenges they’re facing, and the possible solutions. Families value livestock highly; they are important assets (and sometimes the only asset) and families tell us time and time again that they see livestock as a great way to improve their lives.

• How does livestock help families improve nutrition or health?

  Protein is too expensive for poor families to buy, but milk and eggs from livestock provide children with this essential nutrient. Fertilizer from manure helps grow nutritious vegetables and improve crop production, which means better health for the whole family.

• How does livestock help families generate income?

  Families sell products like milk, eggs or honey to pay for healthcare and education for children. Plan International also helps create co-ops, which enable farmers to sell milk at twice the price they’d get selling independently. And animals like goats are a valuable asset, which can be sold in times of economic shock when families need immediate cash.

• How do you decide where to have a livestock program?

  We select the most suitable locations based on technical feasibility, demand and past successful experience with similar programs. We work in cooperation with various government departments, as well as with local experts who have experience in livestock health and care.

  Most importantly, all our projects are community-driven, which means local people identify the problems and challenges they’re facing, and the possible solutions. So all our livestock programs are in areas where families have told us they want livestock as a way to build a better life.

• How do you decide who gets the animals?

  Most of our livestock programs focus on the poorest and most marginalized families in the community, and all families selected must be willing to participate in the program.

  We work with community members to identify the families to receive the livestock. Together we’ll consider poverty, as well as households that are headed by women, don’t own land, have a family member with a disability, or who have a large number of children, for example. Then a community meeting is organized for all village members to discuss and agree on eligible families to be selected to receive livestock.

• How do you decide what type of animal to provide?

  We work with community members and local agricultural experts to decide on the best type of livestock for the area. Considerable thought is given to designing appropriate programs built on scientific evidence and local knowledge that can be sustained within the local context and environment. While goats may be the best choice in one region, chicks or pigs may be appropriate in another.

• Where do the animals come from?

  The animals are all locally sourced.

• Do families have to do anything in preparation for receiving an animal?

  Yes! Families who receive an animal receive training in livestock management, production and health as a pre-condition to receiving the animals. Community members contribute labour and local materials to construct appropriate housing structures for the animals. A central community committee of trained volunteers is provided with basic veterinary training, as well as a drug kit and other supplies to support the families involved in this project. When the animals have offspring, one or two are passed along to other families in the community so that others will benefit – and the impact of the project continues.

• How can poor families, who can barely feed themselves, afford to feed the animals?

  The livestock feed on crop residues or controlled grazing and not on grains. And when the livestock begin producing (milk or eggs, for example), the products are used to feed children, and extra can be sold to earn money almost immediately – money which can be spent on food or other essentials. In addition, fertilizer from manure helps grow nutritious vegetables and improve crop production. So, in fact, having livestock can sometimes be the first step to ensuring better nutrition and food security for the entire family.

• How do I know the animals will be well cared for? How will poor families be able to provide proper veterinary care in future?

  A central community committee of trained livestock volunteers is provided with a drug kit and other supplies to support the families involved in this project. They are also trained in basic veterinary medicine. It is well understood that appropriate livestock management practices are vital if the program is to make a lasting difference for the children and families participating.

• Will these animals be eaten?

  The consumption of provided livestock for meat is strongly discouraged. Most families see their livestock as highly value in providing products for family consumption (milk, cheese and eggs, for example), manure for fertilizer to grow healthier crops, and offspring to sell at market – so they want to maintain their asset as long as possible.

• Does providing livestock benefit only the family who receive the animal?

  No – that’s one of the great things about Plan International’s livestock projects! When the animals have offspring, one or two are passed along to other families in the community so that others will benefit. In fact, families who receive livestock agree to this as a condition of participating in the project. With this approach, impact of the project is spread throughout the community and for years to come.

• Why has Plan International Canada decided to use livestock projects as opposed to agriculture based ones?

  Actually, we do both. Sometimes agricultural programs are the best way to help bring lasting change, and in other times or places livestock are most effective because of local growing conditions or community priorities. We work in cooperation with various government departments, as well as with local experts who have experience in livestock health and care, and make decisions on locations for livestock programs based on technical feasibility, demand and past successful experience with similar programs.

• How is giving livestock sustainable?

  Plan International works with community members and local agricultural experts to decide on the best type of livestock for the area. Considerable thought is given to designing appropriate programs built on scientific evidence and local knowledge that can be sustained within the local context and environment. While goats may be the best choice in one region, chicks or pigs may be appropriate in another.

  Families who receive the livestock also get formal training from local experts as well as ongoing support from a local volunteer project coordinator, other participating families, a veterinary committee, and sometimes agricultural co-ops.

  And when the animals have offspring, one or two are passed along to other families in the community so that others will benefit – and the impact of the project continues.

• Why is Plan International the right organization to provide livestock to families?
  There are several reasons:

  • Technical expertise: Considerable thought is given to designing appropriate programs built on scientific evidence and local knowledge that can be sustained within the local context and environment. We select the most suitable locations, and the most suitable type of livestock, based on technical feasibility, demand and past successful experience with similar programs. We work in cooperation with various government departments, as well as with local experts who have experience in livestock health and care.
  • Community-based approach: All our projects are community-driven, which means local people identify the problems and challenges they’re facing, and the possible solutions. As a result, all our livestock programs are in areas where families have told us they want livestock as a way to build a better life. We work with community members to identify the most marginalized families to receive the livestock, and all families selected must be willing to participate in the program.
  • Integrated programs: Families who receive the livestock also get formal training from local experts as well as ongoing support from a local volunteer project coordinator, other participating families, a veterinary committee, and sometimes agricultural co-ops. And all of our livestock programs are in areas where we are providing other support in the areas of livelihood, education, health, and water and sanitation – so families are set up to succeed.
  • Sustainability: When the animals have offspring, one or two are passed along to other families in the community so that others will benefit – and the impact of the project continues.

» Learn more about why giving livestock as Gifts of Hope is a great idea!