Charity

Combatting poverty through growing solutions

Send a Cow was set up by a group of Christian dairy farmers from the West Country in 1988. Outraged at EU milk quotas, which were forcing them to slaughter on what they know, success quickly multiplies, from healthy dairy cows, and in response to an appeal from family to family, community to community, generation Uganda for milk, they met round the table in a Lapford to generation. We work across six African countries farmhouse kitchen and embarked on a project, which – Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and was set to become an innovative and practical charity. Zambia. We work with smallholder farmers of whom Uganda was just emerging from a long civil war. 65% are women, often widows caring for orphaned Communities and their farmland had been destroyed grandchildren. We also work with other marginalised and much of the country’s livestock wiped out. Several groups like disabled people and those with HIV/AIDS. of the UK farmers fl ew to Africa to investigate how Our focus on gender and social inclusion means that they could help. After meeting Ugandan farmers and women are supported to raise their aspirations beyond a livestock expert, they saw how smallholder dairy subsistence farming. We help husbands and wives work farming in Africa could work.They returned to the UK “ They pass on what they know, success quickly multiplies, from family to family, community to out how best to share the workload and decisiondetermined to help, and sent cows from community, generation to generation ” making to achieve their vision. We their own herds to Uganda. Send a Cow was born. teach them the organic agricultural principles and Every day, families face poverty that is extreme, cruel, skills they need to integrate these into a sustainable, and worst of all – unnecessary. But rural Africa is rich biodiverse farm – without expensive artifi cial fertilisers with opportunity and where there is land, there is hope. or GM seeds. Techniques such as water harvesting, Send a Cow doesn’t impose solutions, we help grow composting, vegetable growing, tree planting and them from within. That’s why they work. Families get animal husbandry are easily adaptable to each farmer’s back the skills and confi dence they need to get the own land. As farmers start producing enough food to own land. As farmers start producing enough food to most from their land. They can feed their families and sell a surplus, their confi dence feed their families and sell a surplus, their confi dence grow enough food, earn a and self-esteem are boosted. By the time our projects and self-esteem are boosted. By the time our projects living and go after end, families are feeding their families and selling end, families are feeding their families and selling their dreams. surplus crops. Their income increases sixfold enabling surplus crops. Their income increases sixfold enabling And because them to pay for their basic needs: education, better them to pay for their basic needs: education, better they pass housing and healthcare. They are no longer just housing and healthcare. They are no longer just surviving, but thriving. surviving, but thriving. Once families are eating well and earning enough Once families are eating well and earning enough to send their children to school, we encourage them to send their children to school, we encourage them to think bigger. They learn money management and to think bigger. They learn money management and enterprise skills so they can access savings and credit enterprise skills so they can access savings and credit services. They discover how best to add value to their services. They discover how best to add value to their produce, start small businesses and may form coproduce, start small businesses and may form cooperatives, Our low-input, high achieving approach operatives, Our low-input, high achieving approach means that our programmes cost as little as £30 a year. means that our programmes cost as little as £30 a year. We focus on training; ensuring families have the skills We focus on training; ensuring families have the skills they need to grow food and earn an income. Where they need to grow food and earn an income. Where necessary, we also provide locally bought seeds, tools necessary, we also provide locally bought seeds, tools

and livestock. Send a Cow Patron, Bishop Ruth of Taunton, writes: ‘Harvest is a time when we traditionally celebrate the abundant blessings of God and the hard work of our farmers locally. This is also an opportunity to both celebrate the work of farmers worldwide and to pledge celebrate the work of farmers worldwide and to pledge to support them as neighbours whose livelihoods are aff ected by the climate crisis. This autumn, let’s stand in solidarity with families like Grace’s (pictured). With your donations, we can show them they’re not facing the climate crisis alone. By holding a Harvest celebration for Send a Cow you will help families like Grace’s to adapt and grow their resilience, so that when Grace’s to adapt and grow their resilience, so that when the next drought or fl ood comes, they can still grow enough food to eat and send their children to school.’ Grace is a widow with eight children, living in rural Migori, Kenya, who struggles to feed her family. Without a good harvest Grace cannot feed her family a nutritious diet or send her children to school. Grace has recently started to work alongside Send a Cow and is hopeful for a brighter future. With your support this Harvest, women like Grace could learn new techniques to help protect their land from the eff ects of the climate crisis. Grace said: ‘My hope is that my life will change for the better. I believe that this journey I have started with Send a Cow will enable me to use my farm so that we no longer go hungry.’ £105 could provide training for 6 families in soil conservation techniques such as composting, helping conservation techniques such as composting, helping them to grow more and stand up to extreme weather. them to grow more and stand up to extreme weather. You can fi nd all the resources you need to help make your You can fi nd all the resources you need to help make your celebration run smoothly at sendacow.org/harvest. ncelebration run smoothly at sendacow.org/harvest. n

Jenny Reynolds

Get In Touch:

Local Send a Cow ambassador Jenny Reynolds is available to give more information and talks to any group, church or school who would like to learn more about the charity. Contact Jenny on 01837 861678. Email jenneo78@gmail.com

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