Fall 2007 Newsletter — Contents
GBM visits Haiti … p. 1Organization profile … p. 2
Carbon offset—Plant a Tree … p. 3
Member Profile … p. 4
Organization Profile: Pig, Sheep and Goat Breeding Project
The goals of Ti Komite Legliz Dewonsere (TKLD)—Little Community Church of Dewonsere—are to improve economic development by increasing pig and goat production in the community of Dewonsre and to improve the skills of its members.
"With the pigs, sheep and goats we have more income to send our children to school. We have better lives thanks to the Lambi Fund of Haiti. In the heart of the project, we who received the little goats, sheep and pigs are very happy with the way things are run. In this way, TKLD gave proof that we understood the project and are working on prospering. Animals are starting to produce offspring and this allows us to reap the benefits from having a goat, sheep or pig. In the next round of breeding, we hope that more animals will be born and the economic situation will improve even more. All members of TKLD are very satisfied." — David, a member of TLKD
After approving their initial plan to do this, Lambi Fund met with TKLD members to plan the project strategy, goals and objectives. TKLD leaders appointed members to the Executive and Management Committees. They decided that the members who received an animal had to meet certain conditions:
- Each beneficiary started breeding the kind of animal with which he was familiar.
- The breeders needed to have some pasture for goats and sheep to graze.
- Each beneficiary needed to have a shed to protect the animals from natural disasters such as rain or humidity, and from attacks from wild dogs that roam the area for food.
- The committee distributed baby animals to those who did not have any animals. The mother stayed with the breeder. The first members who received animals did not need to reimburse the committee for the cost.
- With female pigs, the boar owner kept one piglet, and the rest of the piglets were shared 50/50 between the committee and the breeder. The committee distributed the next piglets to the other members who did not have pigs.
- With goats and sheep, each time a female was bred, the breeder paid 10 gds. For boar service the payment was a piglet. When male goats and sheep could not breed anymore they were sold and the breeder kept part of the money. For pigs, if the boar could not breed anymore, the committee and the breeder fattened it up to sell and the money was shared 50/50 between the committee and the breeder. Finally, the committee needed to replace the males who could not breed anymore.
- The breeder was responsible for correct veterinary care for the animals.
Purchased goats sheep and pigs
Lambi Fund gave TKLD funds to buy animals. TKLD bought 5 female pigs and one boar, 24 female sheep and 3 males, 6 female goats and 1 male. Lambi Fund provided funds to buy animal food. Lambi Fund also provided funds to purchase medicine to provide quality veterinary care for the animals. The Veterinary Technician accompanied organization members to the markets and helped them choose the best animals for the project.
Hiring a Veterinary Agent
Lambi Fund and TKLD hired a veterinary agent for the first year to care for the animals. The veterinary agent started by distributing medicine to the members. Now in the second year of the project, the organization members pay the agent. Each time the agent makes a call, the animal owner pays a small cost for the medicine. This money serves to refresh the stock under the control of the management committee.
Over the course of the project the veterinary agent visits the animals each month. If there is a problem, the organization calls the agent immediately to bring in the sick animal. For example, there was a sheep that had a problem with her pregnancy. The babies died in utero and the veterinary agent came quickly to remove the babies and save the mother.
Training on Breeding
Lambi Fund hired a consultant to give a training seminar on animal breeding for 40 members of TKLD. Topics taught included: different types of Animal Husbandry (goat, sheep, or pig), feeding the animals, veterinary care for each type of animal, type of safe shelter for pigs during the rainy season and types of sheds for goats and sheep.
Project Impact
The project has had a great impact in the area, on TKLD members, and on the organization itself:
- Each TKLD member has at least one animal they are raising.
- Members’ knowledge of different types of breeding has improved.
- The animal population in the area has started to increase.
- The organization has gained popularity in the area, and has gotten stronger. Many people have decided to join TKLD because of the success of the breeding project.
- TKLD members have developed strong solidarity among themselves.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The project started a year ago, and TKLD believes this is a great victory, especially for members who previously had no means to purchase an animal. The existing schools in the community are not large enough for the needs of the community. In order to address this problem, the organization is using revenue from their animal husbandry projects to build a small community school to increase the number of children attending primary schools.
