A goat might not seem like much but it can make a huge difference to a family in need…
Take a few minutes to read some of the heart-warming stories about how your gifts have helped families around the world.
“I am very proud of and grateful for what we have today - our healthy children and secured livelihood,” says Nguyệt from Vietnam.
Nguyệt and her husband used to work very hard for their family, unfortunately, a sudden accident at work to her husband and an unexpected gallstone disease for herself later had made life extremely difficult.
When Nguyệt’s second child Việt was diagnosed with malnutrition at 18-month-old, World Vision reached her family with a chicken raising programme. Six training sessions were organised on breeding techniques for chickens, and all participating families successfully raised and expanded their flock with a survival rate of 95%. Egg selling alone has given her family a stable income since then to cover their daily living expenses, and to expand the herd. With the thriving family business, Việt has eventually been able to grow up healthy and tall.
The gift of a chicken has empowered a family with a sustainable source of livelihood, which is ultimately leading to a happy and healthy future.
11-year-old Balachandran is a grade 6 student in India and the eldest son in his family. A few years ago, he and his family were abandoned by his father, which not only left them with emotional scars but also financial hardships. Kalaiselvi, Balachandran’s mother, had to find ways to provide for her two children without any support while also taking care of her ageing parents. The family’s situation was desperate.
Thankfully, the family was able to receive goats from World Vision donors in time. The goats not only helped improve their livelihoods, but also brought warmth to their hearts. “When I heard that World Vision was going to give us goats, I found renewed hope and was comforted that somebody cared for me and my children,” says Kalaiselvi. With the goats, the family can now sell goat milk, baby goats and goat manure for a living. They have also started keeping other animals such as chicken and cows to increase their income.
Balachandran also says, “The goats are my friends. I feed them and play with them every day.”
In Malawi, 10-year-old Tsala and her friends used to go to fetch water from a small stream for household use.
Located almost half a kilometre from Tsala’s home, the stream usually dries up during summer and gets engulfed by plants during the rainy season, providing a habitat for dangerous reptiles, particularly snakes. Besides the risk of being harmed, the water that Tsala and her friends used to get from the stream was very dirty and contaminated. That ended when World Vision drilled a borehole in Tsala’s community.
“We saw a lot of water coming out. The water shot up to the sky and fell on the ground. I have never seen so much water in my life!” Exclaims Tsala. Since then, community members have abandoned their previous water source.
“[In the past] I could not go to school because of diarrhoea. The water we drink now looks clean. I no longer visit the toilet many times.” she says.
“Life was hard in the countryside,” says Oyuntsetseg of Mongolia. Her son Baasandorj attends grade six and is a sponsored child.
In 2000, they moved into the city in search of a better life. Oyuntsetseg worked as a cleaner and her income was meagre. Later, they obtained an electric sewing machine from World Vision, and this allowed them to start making shoes and earn more. “Now we have six sewing machines and life for my children is totally different. Now we have a nice life,” she says. “When I was sewing by hand, we lived one day at a time with no vision for the future.” Now, they are able to support Baasandorj’s education with the income generated by selling shoes.
After making her way through the vegetable garden, Rathimalar, 11, shows us the enclosure of Lakshmi, a cow that was provided to her family by World Vision in a remote community in Sri Lanka.
Sevagaperumal, Rathimalar’s father, works as a sundry worker on a tea estate and earns around HK$500 a month, a sum insufficient to sustain the family. His wife went abroad to work as a housemaid for two years, but has been unable to find a job upon her return, leaving the family in greater financial difficulties.
Lakshmi and training brought hope to their family. The extra income provided through the sale of milk enabled them to buy a tuk-tuk, pay for the two children’s education and expand additional farmland.
“Thanks to the extra income we earn through the sale of milk, we are able to send her for special classes. She has improved in her rank in class – from 39th to the 5th,” says Sevagaperumal. “When I grow up, I want to be a teacher!” Rathimalar says confidently.
10-year-old Anjali lives in one of the slums in northern India. Her father Ramu has always been a rickshaw driver, but as the rickshaw was hired, only little was left for him after the rent was paid.
Since receiving a rickshaw from World Vision, Ramu has been able to earn more. He plans to buy an auto-rickshaw which would allow him to serve more passengers. His wife has also completed a course in sewing run by World Vision. She is now employed as a teacher at a local tailoring institute.
“World Vision has shown the way to the people in our community. Now we can walk ahead,” says Ramu.
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