STORY 2: Goat Rearing Programme Increases Income in Quan Ba
Located in a high and rocky mountain area, Tung Vai village is one of the poorest areas of Quan Ba. The land is dry and sloping, which makes it unfavorable for cultivation. Despite the hard work of local people, their income remains very low.
To assist in finding ways to improve livelihoods, ActionAid piloted a goat-raising project with 13 households. Each household was supported with a low interest loan of 4,000,000 VND (EUR 140) to buy the goats. Training was given to help them select suitable food for the goats, how to breed the goats, and how to deal with common diseases.
After one year, the offspring were sold earning each household an average of 8,000,000 VND (EUR 285). This project was so successful that another 40 households have now started raising goats too, using the interest paid back from the first group.
Lo Thi Kim (21), one of the members of the pilot goat-rearing programme describes her experience, “We borrowed a low interest loan from ActionAid and used it to buy 3 goats. We made stables for the goats as instructed and let them graze near our home.
Photo: “Rearing goats bring us hope for our future,” says Mrs Kim pictured feeding the goat with her husband.
The goats grew quickly and after one year, we had 12 goats in total. By the end of this month we will have sold 7 for 8,000,000 VND (EUR 40 each). With this money I can now repair our dilapidated house and buy more food for the family.
I am now helping other people to start raising goats, by teaching them what I have learnt. I hope more and more households will seize the opportunity of benefitting from ActionAid’s work.”