Cows are moo-vellous! They provide a small scale farmer with manure, milk, transportation and the ability to cultivate a herd. The money from selling milk is an important supplement to a poor family’s income. An added benefit is that families are able to use the cow dung as organic fertilizer for their vegetable gardens, (in conjunction with irrigation techniques, organic fertilizer can dramatically increase crop yields), and in some cases they can even sell it.  

Happy healthy cows are invaluable to families whose livelihoods are based on a pastoral way of life. This gift provides them with the training and support to tend to their cattle and earn a precious family income.

"I sell up to 16 litres of milk a day and earn up to 12,000 Kwacha (approx $78) in a month. I believe that my children have the prospect of a bright future because I manage to send them to school with the money that I earn from selling milk." Maureen Khomba, mother of 6 children, pictured left, who received a cow from Oxfam in Malawi.