Cows in Malawi provide security for a new family

Benefitting from receiving an Irish dairy cow means one family can plan for the future and provide security for their baby daughter.

Baptista and Belia Mzukani have big plans for their daughter, Esnart. At 9 months old the baby is healthy and her parents are laying the groundwork for her to stay that way.

The parents each grew up with seven siblings and money, food and other resources were tight. Neither of them went very far in school. ‘That won’t be the case for Esnart’, Belia explains. She and Baptista plan to have only one more child, an unusual choice in Gomani Folotiya Village in central Malawi, where seven or eight children per family is the norm.

The family has two heifers who they have christened “Tiyamike”, whose name means “Giving Thanks,” and her calf Madalitso, whose name means

“Blessings.” Tiyamike’s milk is pulling in enough money that Esnart already has a savings account earmarked for education expenses. “I don’t want her to be denied what she needs,” Baptista said.