True, goats can be pesky. They can be cantankerous and clever escape artists with a penchant for devouring anything, really – from laundry on the line to tires and metal cans. But they are also a lifeline for people living in poverty. Known for their intelligence and curiosity, hardy Mubende goats are affordable, resistant to disease and parasites, and resilient to extreme weather, says Mohana Rambe, a UBC Okanagan (UBCO) Faculty of Management student. In addition, a single doe can reproduce twice a year, rapidly increasing herd size.
To that end, UBCO students launched the Goat Project in 2020, an initiative of UBCO’s Enactus Club and the Spinoza Foundation. The aim is to give children in remote communities in Uganda, East Africa goats to improve their lives. Many of the children are orphans suffering from medical, social and mental health issues after losing their parents to HIV. Last year, the club supported 63 families with one female goat each. This year’s goal? Two hundred goats.
“A Night for Uganda” event Feb. 12 for students and alumni raised $8,000 – closing in on the $10,000 goal at $50 per goat – through a virtual evening of music and poetry with 20 artists over Zoom.
Before launching the project, the club asked the community what they needed most to raise their household income and substantially enhance their livelihoods. Goat farming was the unanimous answer, Rambe said.
Later this year, Okuku Spinoza, a former UBCO student who started the Spinoza Foundation, will travel to Uganda to help oversee distribution of the purchased goats. Funds are still coming in via Eventbrite. Spinoza says future plans include establishing a farm where the group can breed goats for the project with the goal of lowering costs and becoming self-sustaining.
Find out more about UBCO’s Goat Project.
Support UBCO’s Goat Project: donate through Eventbrite.