Goat rearing program helps families in need
In rural Bangladesh, most of the Christians work as day-to-day labourers and small farmers. Their income is minuscule. They depend on their daily earnings to sustain themselves and their families, but it can be difficult to even cover the basic needs of a family.
This is why Open Doors local partners in Bangladesh have introduced the goat rearing program for those in need! The program poor believers generate some extra income that they can use for their families and gradually become self-dependent. The partners work with the Christian community to find the neediest families; a few families are selected and given the opportunity to rare goats.
Each selected family is given two or three goats for rearing, and they will commit to donating the first-born goat kid to the church so that another family can continue the program. The more this ripple effect happens, the closer the church gets to eliminating poverty amongst believers in rural areas.
There are many benefits to rearing goats. Female goats on average would give birth at least twice a year, so it does not take long for the beneficiaries to gain profit from this program. Additionally, goat meat is expensive and in high demand, making it an efficient income generator.
Madhobi (40) is lives in the northern part of the country. She suffers from a speech and hearing impairment, and she also has difficulty walking because of her weak muscles. It is extremely hard for her to find jobs like other women. She is often unvalued, discriminated against, and ignored by other villagers. Because she has no job, and no way to generate an income, she stays at home and helps out with the chores.
In many households, people like Madhobi would not be able to survive. But she is strong and determined, and her faith in Jesus is the hope that keeps her alive.
Our local partners selected her family for the program, and she was given two goats during the pandemic. She took such good care of her goats, loving them and nurturing them daily. A few months ago, one of her goats gave birth to two goat kids and they are expecting another one soon. The kids are healthy and growing well!
To her joy, Madhobi has promised to give two goat kids, instead of one, to the church so that the church would be able to help another family such as hers, or who are in much worse of a situation.
“I am very happy. I am very lucky. My goats growing quickly. I will give two goats to the church. I will rear many goats and I will sell them. I will support my family with the money of selling the goats,” exclaimed Madhobi.
Madhobi’s husband, Kanteshor, expects that within two or three years they would be able to make a good profit from the goats, a profit that he was never able to make before.
“We desired to rear cattle but could not afford them. This is good support for our family,” said Kanteshor. “We have received two small goats but now they have grown. We can earn good money by selling the goats. We would like to buy a cow with the money we make. I hope this will change our future.”
He is very pleased with his wife. He said “She is very lucky. Her fortune brought this blessing to our family. We did not expect something like this to happen. She is taking care of the goats alone.”
“We are very thankful to you (local partners) for your kind heart for our family. God bless you!”
Goat rearing does not only help needy believers overcome financial need, but also helps connect them to the church community. As a result, the believers grow stronger together and continue to disciple each other.
Pray
- Pray for Madhobi and her efforts at supporting her family by rearing goats. We praise the Lord for her great heart for the Lord and her neighbouring believers. Pray for her that she would be able to support the church and others.
- Pray that she and her husband would be able to effectively utilize the money for maximum benefit in their situation.
- Pray for the neighbouring beneficiaries that they will rear the goats properly like Madhobi, that they would be able to come out of poverty and be financially stable.
