Rwanda
Life-changing livestock
Giving families in Rwanda a way to earn income and transform their lives
Education & Training
The Need
Families in western Rwanda commonly live on less than $2 a day and barely make enough to survive. They have difficulties affording basic necessities for their children like food, health care and education. Many families in this area manage small farms. However, most families can’t afford fertilizer and the soil has become infertile due to overcultivation. This results in low crop yields, food insecurity and chronic malnutrition that especially impacts children during critical and vulnerable growth periods. These parents are eager to work and improve their lives, but opportunities are limited.
The simple gift of cows was proposed for cultural and practical reasons. Being a cow owner is a source of great pride in Rwanda, as cows are culturally seen as treasures. A local pass-on practice known as “kuziturirana” means that when a cow gives birth, the owners will give the first female calf to another family in need. This cycle continues, giving countless people hope for the future. Families will also be able to sell other calves, which will help them overcome poverty.
With cows, parents can provide steady access to milk for their children, which decreases rates of malnutrition. The excess manure and milk can be sold to manage other household needs or invest in new crops, fertilizers or livelihoods. Additionally, cows provide natural fertilizer, improving their crop production. The government goal of giving families in poverty a cow, called “Girinka,” would completely changes these families’ daily lives and give them a better future.
Our Response
This intervention was developed to reduce extreme household poverty and increase household income among 75 families of Compassion-supported children among five frontline church partners through cow-keeping as an income-generating activity.
After funds were received and disbursed to the benefiting church partners, the church partner committees held preparatory meetings with local leaders to lay detailed plans, develop criteria for selection of beneficiaries, establish guidelines for the bidding process, develop a cow selection process and select cow-rearing training programs.
Each Compassion centre contracted suppliers to deliver the cows, test the cows to ensure they met the health standards and then distribute them to their owners. Special ceremonies were held in which the cows were officially handed over to families in the presence of church leaders, local authorities and Compassion representatives. These ceremonies are an important tradition in Rwanda, giving communities a chance to celebrate such a significant gift together.
Each selected family received one healthy cow, which was examined by a veterinarian to ensure that the cow was in excellent condition. Families received training on livestock care, including breeding cows, handling cows during labour and delivery, managing milk and preventing diseases in cows. They were also instructed on how to use the cow waste as manure for their crops. In addition, caregivers learned how to build cow sheds, which they built on their properties. Centre staff followed up with families to ensure both they and the cows were thriving.
Your gift was planned to provide cows for 75 families (about 525 beneficiaries total) in Western Rwanda. The project was delayed during March 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdowns but resumed a few months later and wrapped up in December 2021. Because the price of cows went down during implementation, Compassion centre staff were able to purchase cows for 86 families (595 beneficiaries)—11 more than originally planned. In all, 54 cows have given birth. All 54 first-born calves have been passed on to new families; now 138 families own cows through this intervention.
Activities
Small businesses: Families earn income by selling milk and manure, which many have reinvested into small businesses so they can provide for their families’ needs and lift themselves out of poverty.
Nutritious milk: Children and families enjoy drinking milk from their cows, which prevents malnutrition and stunting.
Manure: The cow manure has been used for crop production and has already vastly improved harvest yields.
Giving back: Families in this intervention practise giving away the firstborn female calf to a family in a need in a tradition called kuziturirana, increasing the scope of impact beyond the beneficiaries alone. So far, 54 calves in this intervention have been given to other families.
Training: beneficiaries received professional training for ongoing livestock management, constructing and maintaining sheds, growing grass and cow feed, managing cow mating and labour, storing milk safely and preventing cow diseases.
Your Gift Provides...
• 86 healthy cows—one for each family
• Cow feed
• Training on modern animal-raising techniques and livestock care
• Monitoring and follow-up by staff and local leaders
• Professional consultation and reporting
ReportA message from a pastor
The lives of the beneficiaries have been changed positively since this intervention’s successful completion. This cow-keeping intervention came as a solution to the problems faced by families with low income and malnutrition. Now, the families enjoy the benefits of these cows; they have started to enjoy milk, they use organic manure in their fields and they are generating income from the sale of excess manure and milk.
The church of ADEPR Ryabizige now has members who are developing physically and spiritually, and they interact better with their neighbours because of this intervention. Supported beneficiaries have witnessed firsthand the successful implementation of this intervention and it has given them a better understanding of the program and the various ways we minister to them. Now, when we need them, they respond well and attend in good numbers. It has also improved the mindset of beneficiaries, who now more easily understand the vision of the Compassion centre and the church partner. This eases the planning, implementation and reporting of different activities. This intervention has benefited the community by making it easier to get manure and milk from their neighbours who received the cows.
Thank you for giving financial support for this cow-keeping intervention; you did well by the vulnerable children who are supported through the Compassion centre in Ryabizige. May our Almighty God bless you so much and reward your generosity.
ReportA message from those your gift helped
My life before the implementation of this cow-keeping intervention was not good at all. It was mostly defined by stunting and malnutrition due to a poor and non-balanced diet. I was sick most days and my education was delayed.
Ever since this intervention was completed, my life has completely changed. My growth is on a better track. During the health screening—which is done annually at the project—the indicators show that my weight is increasing. I believe that as soon as possible, I will be completing my studies. My parents also now own a shop that they were able to set up after we got a cow.
This positive change means a lot to me and my family. My school results are good, my brothers and sister are feeling happy and growing well and my parents are happy with their business. This is all due to the income from the cow that this project gave us. Our family’s future shines brightly thanks to this intervention.
This intervention has taught me to love my neighbour, help the poor, have a deep focus on Jesus Christ and regularly attend the activities and programs at the Compassion centre. Thank you for showing good, generous hearts and providing me and my family with a cow that will totally change our lives. May God bless you so much!
ReportThank you for your generosity
Because of your gift, 86 families in Rwanda are benefiting from owning cows. Families are so happy and proud to be cow owners and to have the means to live a better life.
A main impact of this intervention is the steady availability of organic manure to families. Before, families would reap low harvests due to extremely low soil fertility. But now, the manure from their cows leads to excellent harvests of maize, green bananas, potatoes, beans and other vegetables. This has greatly improved food security and nutrition levels. Excess organic manure is also sold to pay for other basic needs such as food, medical insurance and school fees for non-sponsored children within the families.
Further, these cows provide a direct source of nutrition: milk. Milk consumption has helped reduce malnutrition and eradicate stunted growth in the benefiting families, especially those with younger children. The increased income has enabled beneficiaries to carry out plans that they had either failed to do before or could never even dream of doing due to their state of extreme poverty. Families can now afford to purchase medical insurance and others have used the extra money to start small businesses such as shopkeeping and knitting.
This intervention has also boosted the image of the local churches in the eyes of the authorities because it was implemented in line with the government’s “Girinka” community development program, in which families living in poverty receive a cow. These partnerships have strengthened the churches’ relationship with the local authorities, and the local churches have become respected opinion leaders within their communities. Church leaders, centre staff, local government authorities and the beneficiaries themselves are so grateful.
This intervention was truly an enormous blessing to the beneficiaries and their communities. Thanks to you, these families have nutritious, regular meals and have boosted their income so they can provide for their families. The tradition of passing on the first-born calf means your gift will continue to bless many more families for years to come. Thank you for giving these families the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty in Jesus’ name!