Farmers respond to Bothar calf appeal
Bothar recently launched its annual Spring Calf Appeal, calling on farmers to donate a calf that can be reared and put in-calf, so that in 18 months time, the cow would be ready to go to a needy family in the developing world.
Dave Moloney, deputy CEO at Bothar, said the heifers some of them raised by prisoners at Shelton Abbey and Loughan House open prisons) have a transformative effect from the moment the decision is taken to donate them. More from Shelton Abbey later.
Receiving this cow is, quite literally, a life-changing experience for families. And for many this wonderful gift of a food-and-income-producing animal is the equivalent of being handed the keys to a highly successful business.
Over the last five years, farmers, business people, schools and community groups have donated more than 380 calves to the Spring Calves Appeal.
I remember the first time I came across Bothar’s web site. The range of animals they sponsored — camels, water buffalos as well as goats, cows, bees, and hens fascinated me.
But it was when I began reading the section devoted to success stories from the recipients that I realised just how far-reaching the effects of Bothar’s programme can be. Like the Pakistani woman whose involvement with Bothar and the goat she received from them has enabled other women to receive more rights.
Mariam says: “I worked very hard on the goat’s care with the skills I learned at the Bothar training sessions. God blessed me through breeding of goats and I got income from selling their milk. With this income my children started their schooling and now they have the chance of a better life.”
One of the biggest impacts that Mariam has had on her neighbours is that they now see that a woman can be treated equally and earn income for her family. Many of her neighbours have asked Mariam to share with them the training that she received through Bothar.
Carlos Arturo Villeda became a part of the Heifer for Honduras project and the proud owner of a cow he has named Preciosa. It was his father who first received the cow, but when he became ill and knew he was dying, he asked his son to carry on the programme.
“I feel very motivated and well-trained to take care of my cow, which for me has fallen from heaven,” Carlos says. “Now I am taking care of my mother and my younger brother who is struggling with physical and mental disabilitie; he can have a litre of milk every day which is improving his health. The extra is sold at the local market. God bless your work and your families.”
Ndihamaka Meresiano — a 62-year-old Ugandan woman — and her family were struggling to survive. Then she joined the Bothar project and everything changed.
“I could not stop smiling when I received my in-kid healthy, dairy goat.” Ndhamaka says, “A month later my goat had two kids — a female and a male and we were so thankful that we had been blessed. The goat produces four litres a day and my family’s health has improved. We drink the milk and sell the surplus.”
Many of the goats in the developing world are bred for meat not dairy and the yield of milk from local cattle can be as low as one litre, whereas with proper care, a Bothar cow can produce twenty times as much.
The Spring Calf Appeal will run until April 30, and Bothar’s Dave Maloney told me how this year’s drive is going.
It’s going very well. Farmers in Ireland have been very supportive of us since the Spring Calf Scheme began. They know that it’s a win-win situation for everybody — the recipients obviously, the prisoners who raise the calves for us and the farmers themselves who get a great sense of satisfaction from knowing they have helped.
The Prison Service approached us about their involvement and it’s worked really well from the beginning. We run intensive six-week calf-rearing courses and then the prisoners take over. The men take great pride in their work and they are always very keen to find out how the recipient families are getting on. We hold a special event that brings together donors and prisoners and that is very popular.
Oh yes, lots. For instance, we used to send out cameras with the cows so that our local representatives could take pictures. Now of course, we can do all that on our phones and we can send photographs to the original donors. But our basic routines are still the same. Recipient families are trained in advance — feeding, health and welfare and proper housing. And when the heifer is ready, we send out AI straws.
Then when the cow calves, the first-born is given to another needy family. This scheme has worked really well in 20 countries. It’s simple, effective and it works.
No, there’s a huge knock-on effect too. In some cases if a recipient family can’t read or write, they will be taught how to do so as a part of the training and that can make a major difference in their lives. Also, our programmes bring communities together and inspire other people to become involved when they see how successful they are.
This is especially important when it comes to women, who are often marginalised and who are often responsible for implementing these projects. With the income they make from the surplus, families can send their children to school, perhaps for the first time, and their overall health improves. It also gives people hope for the future.
