After surveying a village and finding out who could benefit from the program, we provide 5 families with 2 cows each. The families share ownership in a bull for breeding, and take turns herding them, milking them, grazing them and making sure they are healthy.
After 4 years, each family gives away two heifers to another family in need. In the meantime, families can use or sell the milk until the cow is old enough to sell. Cows can reproduce about once per year and can live up to 20 years.
To increase survival rates, we provide vet training for the families in the program so they can learn about diseases, how to give shots, how to take a cow’s temperature (very carefully), and how to keep ticks at bay. Each group works with a government vet to make sure calves get vaccinated.
Watching this program develop for more than 6 years, Rural Development Director Keith Norris has been pleased to see the knowledge transfer starting to pay off. Cows haven’t been traditionally raised here in Mozambique to a great extent, but he says it has been a joy to watch people proudly and tenderly raise their animals and pass knowledge on to others. For some people in the program, their cow is the only asset they’ve ever had.
Karl Eastlack with Custodia, a beneficiary of the Mozambique cattle program.