More than a pet, livestock at the orphanage provide a renewable source of food and income. The goats, chicken and cows at the orphanage breed seasonally, and the offspring can be sold at market, eaten in the kitchens, or keep to breed another year. At the same time, children learn valuable animal husbandry skills that can help them establish their own livelihoods one day.
Therefore, purchasing and managing livestock is a vital part of life at the Amani. Consider donating 10USD for a clutch of chickens, 50USD for a new goat, or 75-100 USD for a diary cow. This is the gift that really keeps on giving!
Kate Thompson is a Ph.d. Candidate in Anthropology at Stony Brook University with degrees in Community, Environment and Development, Anthropology and World Literature from the Pennsylvania State University. She visited Amani in 2011 with the School for Field Studies. There she began a collaboration with Juma to build an international network, aiming to ensure publicity, fundraising and sustainable growth for Amani. Kate has conducted environmental education research as well as arts and literacy programming throughout East Africa, both with Amani and through her affiliation with the Children and Youth Empowerment Centre in Nyeri, Kenya. Her current work is based southeastern Madagascar exploring the ecological, social and economic implications of illegal poaching.
More than a pet, livestock at the orphanage provide a renewable source of food and income. The goats, chicken and cows at the orphanage breed seasonally, and the offspring can be sold at market, eaten in the kitchens, or keep to breed another year. At the same time, children learn valuable animal husbandry skills that can help them establish their own livelihoods one day.
