A goat helps to provide a college education
Reuben Koech, a Bóthar representative in Kenya wanted to tell you the story of Coleta Juma Otieno from the Oriang Womens Group in Kisumu County, Kenya.
COLETA Otieno is 42 years old and married with 4 children. Driven by her desire to giving her children an education that she never had, Coleta decided to join the Oriang Women’s Group in Kisumu County. This group was supported in October 1999 with 12 dairy goats from Bóthar.
Prior to receiving the goats, the group was trained on modern dairy goat husbandry practices, sustainable development and social development. After successfully completing the training and the building of a zero grazing unit, Coleta received the gift of one female dairy goat through the group’s “passing on the gift” process.
Once she had honoured the conditions of receiving the animal, by passing on the first born kid to another needy family, she sold the second offspring at the local market and was able to use the money to send her eldest child to Mbugra Secondary School, a reality that Coleta thought she would never see. She is confident that she will be able to send all her children to school now and even has hopes that one of children will make it to university.
“The impact that the goats have had on our lives is truly wonderful; not only have they provided enough surplus income to educate our children but they have improved the health of my family as we get so much nourishment from their milk. Thank you so much – the benefits we have so far enjoyed are much more than our initial expectation,’’ Coleta rejoiced.