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2016: We decided to help augment K2 TASO’s (our Malawi partner) ongoing Goat “Pass-On” program. This program provides goats for free to impoverished farmers and their families in order to give them a source of better nutrition and improve their income at the same time. K2 TASO has been doing this with great success for a few years, but they don’t have enough money to provide the number of goats needed. We hope to help K2 TASO reach this goal with your generous support.
Here is information provided to us by Peter Minjale of K2 TASO. “GOAT PASS-ON PROGRAM: Thanks a lot for the initiatives started on goat pass-on program. The only goat passed on to the next recipient is the first born from the initially received goat. The rest of the coming siblings and the mother remain livestock for the owner. Milk is the number one product consumed and as you know goat’s milk is very nutritious. In future some of the goats can be slaughtered for domestic source of meat as well as sold for income. The hides from the goats are also sold. The goats are also a very good of manure hence promoting good cultivation practices. All these improve the beneficiaries families’ lives. Any amount of support from you and BTM will be recognised. The total population for Kasungu east is 206,000 but if we can reach out and touch 500 people in the next two to three years RE: Goat pass-on that will be wonderful.”
According to Peter, a goat costs $37 apiece. Thus far we have raised enough money for 60 goats and hope to surpass 100 in 2016 with your help!
Accomplishment
October 2017: 510 Goats Donated in our pass-on program, providing milk, manure, and a new revenue source to over 3,500 People (and counting!). Goat prices have dropped to $23 from $37 apiece because we are now buying descendants of the originally donated goats.
January 2018: According to Peter Minjale, we have achieved an 85% saturation rate of donated goats in the area we work. Given the reproductive rate of goats, this means that there will be an approximately 95% saturation rate within 6 months. As a consequence, we are phasing out the BTM goat pass on program at this time. In the next 12 months without further expenditure, we will meet our overall goal of a goat for every poor family in the part of the Kasungu East District we cover. Thanks to all for their donations and support!
July 2018: Peter Minjale informed us that he has had many requests for goats from villages not in our original goat pass-on area. For this reason, we have decided to expand the program to help these needy villagers. To date, this has involved passing on the first born in our already covered villages to needy farmers nearby. We hope to raise enough money this year to provide 500 more goats (avg cost is $23, so we’ll need $11,500 to accomplish this goal. Please help us out!
We have initiated a chicken pass-on program because of the overwhelming success of our goat program.
Achievements as of Feb 2020
We donated 526 goats total between 2014 and 2018 when we stopped because we had maxed out the need for goats in our area. As of now, 3,126 farm families representing approximately 21,882 people have 15,630 goats altogether.
Achievements as of May 21, 2020
Here are pictures of donated chickens. This week we will donate 175 more chickens for our pass-on program. Till now we have helped provide extra income and protein for 35 families (approximately 245 people). Now we’ll be able to help 40-50 more families.
Achievements as of July 28, 2020
We are in the process of giving away 375 more chickens at a cost of $1650 (this in addition to the 175 chickens we have already given away) as part of our other current pass-on program (the dairy project is one as well).
Additional Photos
