a1244: Goats? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tttnhm@aol.com

Charles Arthur writes:
I have just come across this project run by the GHA organisation, based in Atlanta, Georgia. I was struck by the claim that goats are 'good' because they are versatile feeders - they, according to lore, eat almost anything, including tree saplings!!!! What do people think about whether goats are 'good' for Haiti??



HAITIAN GOAT PROJECT
The Project
In 1985 Haitian Community Health Workers (CHWs) trained by Global Health Action requested a sustainable program to address malnutrition, Haiti's  leading cause of illness.  Goats were determined to be a practical solution.

The Training
At GHA's facility in Darbonne, Haiti, Haitian staff instruct local farmers in proper goat care.   Each participant receives a cross-bred pregnant doe at graduation. The off-spring are larger and hardier than the Haitian goat stock and provide more meat and milk.  Each farmer returns a goat kid to the project to help another family.


More than 1,500 farmers have received goat care training and pregnant goats.

Follow-up visits and vet care are provided at no cost for one year.

Periodic continuing education workshops increase skills and knowledge.

Why Haiti?
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with an average per capita income of less than $1 a day.  The Goat Project provides Haitian farmers with valuable skills, as well as a source of milk, meat and money.

Why Goats?
Nearly one third of all Haitian women and children are malnourished.  Adding goat meat and milk to their diets provides important protein.  Goats are  very practical for Haiti:

They require 15% as much land as a cow.

They  are  hardy, agile and tough animals.

They are  versatile feeders.

Cross-bred goats are twice as valuable as  unimproved Haitian goats.

Goat is the premium meat in Haiti.

Goat manure is an excellent fertilizer.

Goats are living, transportable "banks," providing milk, meat and money.  Goats and goat products are sold to pay for school, clothes, medical care and other necessities.

Most of all, the Haitian Goat Project gives hope and a sense of pride to impoverished families. That's something money just can't buy.

Goats are living, transportable "banks," providing milk, meat and money to their owners.