Our Farm

Helping to grow African farms with us...

By providing poor farmers with seeds, livestock and training you have been giving them food, income, dignity and a future.

Click on the category sign posts to see how you have been helping families in Africa turn barren patches of land into flourishing farms.

Sheep have featured highly in our work in Cameroon over the past three months! 91 were placed with members of three different groups, along with 17 donkeys. 2263 sheep and 1357 goats were vaccinated against Peste Petits Ruminants (PPR) – this is a very contagious disease with an 80% mortality rate. It is commonly found in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Sub Continent.

And, 2351 Sheep, 349 pigs and 221 donkeys were treated with antibiotic vitamins, as well as being dewormed. We try our very best to keep all our animals vaccinated against all the major diseases so they stay as fit and healthy as possible.

In Rwanda over the last three months, cows on our projects gave birth to 60 female and 58 male calves. This will mean plenty of milk available for the newborns but also the family. Healthy bones and healthy teeth for all!

Goats on our projects in Rwanda gave birth to 31 female and 29 males over the last three months. Goats milk is particularly good for people suffering with HIV/AIDS and more goats means more milk and healthier families.

One group in Rwanda decided, as a way of following our sharing and caring values, they would provide free milk to needy members of their community every Sunday. Just another way that your support is reaching more and more people.

Thank you

Did you buy any apple tree seedlings this Christmas? Well, in Ethiopia 286 families managed to plant a total of 1664 seedlings. Plenty of fruit to eat and sell on the way here!. Another 15,125 fruit tree saplings were also distributed to 520 more families. Thank you for helping all these people to start eating fruit and earning an income.

210 families were also trained on how to make and use a Keyhole Garden. In about 4 months they’ll have some fantastic new vegetables to eat, share and sell.

In Lesotho several groups undertook training in animal shed construction. Here we give rabbits, chickens, dairy and local goats. Some of the members of one group decided they would collect grass to use as the shed roofs instead of buying iron sheets. This is helping them to reduce the cost of the build.

Constructing adequate shelter is a vital step on the way to a family receiving livestock. Groups will work together helping one another build their shelters. Team work is major part of our work, building relationships and friendships that can stand the test of time.

Another exchange study tour was organised for 57 peer farmers from one of our regions in Rwanda. They visited some older projects to learn from the groups about their experiences with organic farming. The participants were able to learn about different types of gardens and techniques used in vegetable growing, and rain water harvesting using local materials and dams. They also learnt about environmental protection, energy saving stove techniques, bio-gas and trees planting.

 On returning to their own groups these peer farmers will be able to share everything they’ve learnt with the other 30+ members of their group. We find it’s a great way to share knowledge and reach many people in a short space of time.

102 families from groups in Rwanda received seeds to grow fodder legume for their livestock. (10 kgs of Calliandra and 6 kgs of Leucaena). Each family will be able to plant at least 500 legumes trees for animal feed and environmental protection.

Before any families receive livestock from Send a Cow they must have enough space to grow the right amount of fodder and have enough ready to feed it when it arrives.

After getting vegetables growing for the family to eat, fodder is often one of the next things a family will plant. This will help get them ready to receive their livestock as soon as possible. Once they have the food, shelter and have completed numerous trainings on animal husbandry, animal feed and veterinary skills - their new family member will be well on the way.