CAUSE CAPITALISM: HOW A GIFT OF GOATS IS GOING TO TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF YOUNG WIDOWED WOMEN IN KILIFI COUNTY.
By Messy Sum
Published On April 26, 2022
This past weekend, the goat foundation team gave 200 goats to 100 widows in Kilifi county. At a glance, you could easily tell how much struggle some of the widows have endured. Full of hope from the donation, but deeply distraught by how life turned out. Some with swaddled babies on their backs and in tow two other young children. At such a young age, these widows have dealt with unbearable loss. Most of them fully depended on their husbands for financial support but now that they were widowed, they have turned to other means of survival.
According to research conducted by one of Kenya’s leading universities, Kenyatta University, Kilifi county accounts for the highest rates of child marriages. 47.4% of young girls are married before the age of 18. A quick sample of the ages the benefitting widows got married, The Goat Foundation discovered that it was between the ages of 15and 24. At these ages, with limited self-sufficiency skills, they can hardly contribute to uplifting their households.
The only available jobs for this population of women range from domestic chores to farm work. A percentage is forced into participating in sex work. To combat this, Steve Down through The Goat Foundation recognized the need to reach out to these low-income and widowed households. If not empowered, the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and leaving their young families behind is very high.
How Goats will empower these widows.
The Goat Foundation aims to enable populations most at risk of violent extremism and global health issues in solving poverty. Our seed donation of 2 goats will ensure families are able to cater to themselves through long-term livestock farming.
Goats take up little space and they can be reared by anyone. They can equally survive in harsh climatic conditions but still, produce enough to cater to households.
The Goat Foundation is a non-profit partner of Financially Fit Africa that teaches about wealth creation. The partnership ensures even the most vulnerable populations are able to have an opportunity for wealth creation. This is guided by all of Steve Down’s company’s philosophy; cause capitalism.
The Goat Foundation targets to reach 10 Million households across East Africa by 2025.
