Goats: A Lifeline for families in Darfur, Sudan

Since April 2023, Sudan has been plunged into a humanitarian crisis. Since fighting broke out in Sudan, which has turned into genocide in Darfur, more than seven million people have been forced to flee their homes (UN figures). The UN describes the situation in Darfur as the ‘worst, most cruel humanitarian catastrophe in the world today’, despite Palestine and Ukraine.

For families living in remote villages in Darfur, Sudan, who are struggling to survive, goats are more than just livestock; they are a lifeline to thousands of families trapped in inexcusable violence.  Normal life has almost collapsed, including health care.

Kids for Kids has been providing a package of grassroots projects, identified, and run by the villages themselves.

Our key project is our Goat Loan.   Not only do our goats provide essential protein, minerals and vitamins – but now as everyone is malnourished in the wake of soaring inflation – new-born babies are given goat’s milk – the nearest thing to mother’s milk.   The little flock a mother builds up provides an income for the poorest people in the world. Since 2001, we have adopted 110 villages, transforming the lives of 590,000 people. People are flocking to our villages because they know they have a better chance to survive.

Our donkeys are carrying heavy loads- acting as ambulances, and our chickens are providing eggs to the elderly. Our paravets are looking after the animals.

Our hand pumps are being used day and night to give people clean, accessible water.

Our kindergartens are giving children an education and a future out of poverty.

Heath care in the country has broken down. Our health centres, midwives & first aiders are saving lives of babies and their mothers.

Our mosquito nets are helping to slow the spread of malaria and other related diseases. Our blankets are keeping children warm.

The trees that we have planted are slowing the spread of the desert, providing shade and by-products that can be sold for an additional income. People cannot afford any of these basic essentials themselves, especially now.  That is why our help is so desperately needed.

Urgent funding is needed to supply antibiotics to our Kids for Kids trained paravets in the 110 adopted villages in North Darfur. Goats are dying at a rapid rate due to untreated infections. Access to any medicine – human or animal – is near impossible.

“The situation is extremely concerning,” stated Patricia Parker OBE, founder of Kids for Kids, “I am getting daily reports of an increase in goat deaths due to infections, and our ability to treat these animals is severely limited due to the conflict. We urgently need to supply our paravets with antibiotics, but we need the funds to do so. Would you donate to our Veterinary Fund?

 

“At long last we have found a means of providing emergency aid. One of the problems was that banks across the country had closed and with inflation sky high it had been impossible to find means of helping. Our volunteers are exceptional people, despite all their anxieties for their own families, they are keen to help Kids for Kids deliver assistance to our villages.

 

“We are in the process of organising the delivery of sorghum, mosquito nets, veterinary drugs, and most important of all, spare parts, and repair kits for hand pumps to 16 villages. Handpumps have been massively over-used night and day, and many are in need of repair.  I am desperate to get them working again.  These are the items that are at the top of the list as being needed urgently – but things like soap are also needed.  There is a long list of things that people simply cannot afford, or that are not available.  Markets are hardly functioning.

 

“Longer term we must support as many communities as we can, including and especially, providing health care to humans and animals.  Our villages are growing as people move to them because of what they offer. It is even more important to ensure we have funds available to enable us to adopt more villages as soon as it is possible to do so. Our Goat Loans are essential in ensuring children and families survive this horrific fighting.”

Please Donate to our Veterinary Fund and your donation will be doubled in December!