Recognition by new government

Following Andrew Mitchell’s appointment as Secretary of State for International Development, we are delighted by his recognition of the importance of grassroots organisations like Send a Cow in sending aid to where it is most needed. On Monday, Andrew announced his plans to redirect money away from UK awareness programmes, to those programmes which directly help people in need on the ground.

We had the pleasure of welcoming Andrew when he visited some of our projects in Rwanda in 2008 (shown above with some of the Send a Cow farmers he met). We have since kept him updated on our work. Of particular interest to Andrew has been our growing relationships with government organisations. For example, in Rwanda, Send a Cow now has two substantial contracts with the Ministry of Agriculture to implement integrated livestock and crop projects, which are in part funded by the Department for International Development (DfID).

We know that our work brings many farmers out of poverty permanently through high quality training and support, enabling them to achieve both food security and secure livelihoods. Our proven techniques make such a huge difference to people’s lives.

Andrew has seen the effects of this and we hope there will be increased support from DfID for practical projects with proven success and which can be easily replicated. Now that agriculture is finally more central in development thinking, perhaps DfID will be able to provide opportunities for development agencies to bring the direct benefits of practical aid to people living in poverty in rural areas. Send a Cow provides one of the most effective ways to reach these people.