Send a Cow awarded IFAD grant

Send a Cow has been awarded a $200,000 (£133,444) grant by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for a project to improve the lives of over 4,600 poor people in rural Ethiopia. Grants of this size are rarely awarded to NGOs by IFAD, and Send a Cow is delighted that its vital work has been recognised in this way.

The Gamo Goffa Highlands, where the money will be used, has some of the worst conditions in the country; malnutrition, high population pressure, limited access to information and resources, severe soil erosion, lack of knowledge and skills are common features.

The project will train poor families in techniques to grow more food in a sustainable manner. These methods have been proven across Ethiopia and farmers have reported increased production of up to five fold! Send a Cow’s training shows how existing, natural resources can be better managed e.g. by introducing manure to improve soil fertility.

The grant will also be used to set up demonstration sites which will allow the farmers to learn techniques, share experiences and demonstrate their skills to others, who can then go on to help their communities in turn. This low-cost approach is highly effective and allows more and more families to benefit from Send a Cow’s work. 780 people will be trained in the project, but another 3,900 will go on to benefit.

David Bragg, Senior Programme Co-ordinator for Ethiopia, said: “Receiving this grant is a great achievement for Send a Cow and recognition of the tremendous progress we have already made in Ethiopia. By teaching sustainable, diversified agricultural skills, families are able to grow enough food to eat and even a surplus to sell. There are so many more people in need of our assistance across Africa, and we hope that we will continue to be awarded grants such as this to allow us to lift thousands more people out of poverty for good”.