Celebrating our 10 year anniversary in Kenya

Send a Cow has celebrated 10 years of successful partnership working with Heifer International in Kenya.

In that decade, Send a Cow’s projects, based in Western Kenya, have helped over 2,000 households – which is more than 14,000 people!

The celebrations were held in Bumala, with over 2,000 people attending to join in the festivities. Groups of women danced and entertained the guests which included the local MP, Hon. Alfred Ojiambo, and the Minister for Fisheries, Dr. Paul Otuoma, who was representing the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government, Hon. Musalia Mudavavi.

The all-day event included singing and drama, and culminated in the presentation by Heifer International of a number of ‘Golden Talent’ awards in recognition of farmers’ successes.

Kenya is a country that, in recent years, has been plagued by tumultuous times. Political unrest, violence, an HIV pandemic, severe climate including droughts and floods has led to millions of people living in abject poverty. Western Kenya suffers particularly from poor soils and isolated communities. One district where we work, Busia, is the poorest in the whole country. Traditionally, men work away from home which has led to disparate families and also an increased HIV/AIDS rate.

Our group members work together to enhance their community spirit, contributing surplus milk and supplies to help out those who are looking after the many orphans. Some groups are also forming dairy cooperatives to boost their ability to market their produce and earn a sustainable living.

In Kenya, Send a Cow provides good quality dairy and crossbred cows, capable of giving up to 20 litres of milk per day; these are far more productive than the low-yielding local cows. We also provide dairy goats, particularly for the many people we work with who are HIV+. Goats are easier to manage than cows, and their milk provides the nourishment needed by people taking antiretroviral medication.

Our partnership with Heifer Kenya has been strong and successful. We would like to thank them for their efforts and we look forward to celebrating another 10 years!