From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Send a Cow
Send a Cow
works. In 2010, Prince Charles became President of Send
a Cow for a period of five years.[2]
Farming and animals
Send a Cow logo
Send a Cow is a Bath, UK-based international devel-
opment charity that works with poor African farmers
to promote self-sufficiency through the development of
small sustainable businesses based on growing and sell-
ing food .[1]
The charity is founded on Christian values.
It provides training, livestock, seeds and support to fam-
ilies to equip them to make best use of their land and re- Send a Cow provides livestock and training to African farmers
sources.
The charity works in Africa; its beneficiaries include chil- Send a Cow’s philosophy is that making the best use of
dren orphaned by war, families affected by AIDS, and natural resources such as soil, crops, animals and water
people affected by disability. enables farming to be inexpensive, effective and sustain-
able. Send a Cow provides animals including cows, goats
History and poultry, training and ongoing support. Training is in:
management of animals to limit the damage they do to
Send a Cow was founded in 1988 by a group of UK dairy land; care to keep the animals healthy and productive;
farmers in response to European Union milk quotas and farming best practice to increase crop yield and low-
which forced the slaughter of healthy dairy cows and an er costs, for example by using composted manure rather
appeal for milk in Uganda. than buying commercial fertiliser. Send a Cow also pro-
Several farmers flew to Uganda to find out the best way vides business and marketing skills training to farmers
for them to help. The country was emerging from a civil who become able to produce vegetables, milk, eggs or
war which had destroyed communities, farmland and meat over and above the needs of their own families so
much of the country’s livestock. Meeting with Ugandan that they can run small businesses in their communities.
farmers, the Bishop of Mukono, and a livestock expert
enabled them to see that smallholder dairy farming in
Africa would provide an instant source of nutrition Sustainable agriculture
through the production of milk. Send a Cow educates farmers in rural, semi-arid areas
On their return to the UK the farmers sent cows to in Sub-Saharan Africa in the use of manure, and other
Uganda from their own herds. soil and water conservation techniques, to get more out
Although the initial aim was for communities to im- of their land and farm more sustainably, for example
prove their livelihoods through milk production it soon to plant trees rather than cut down forests to cultivate
became clear to Send a Cow that manure from cows was the land. A 2008 report by the charity stated that recent
an even more valuable product. For the 70% of the poor research in Uganda indicated that the ratio of carbon
people of Uganda who had poor quality soil for growing absorbed by trees and crops resulting from their pro-
crops, manure was an ideal way to improve their land grammes, to carbon emitted by the livestock provided by
and raise their crop yields. their programmes and the travelling done by their staff,
Send a Cow currently work in seven countries: Ugan- was more than 2:1. [3] Send a Cow’s Bath,UK headquar-
da, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Lesotho, Rwanda, Zambia and ters has been participating in the 10:10 campaign [1] to
Kenya. Send a Cow provides livestock, all of which is cut emissions by 10% in 2010.
sourced from within Africa, training and ongoing sup-
port; all tailored to meet the diverse needs of the indi-
viduals, families and communities with whom the charity
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Send a Cow
Social context Millennium Development Goals
Send a Cow’s focus on food security and sustainable farm-
ing systems aims at a number of the Millennium Devel-
opment Goals [2], the eight goals agreed by UN member
states in 2000 to tackle world poverty.
Country projects
Uganda
Uganda is rich in natural resources but affected badly by
HIV/AIDS, conflict, floods and droughts.
Send a Cow began working in Uganda in 1988, and the
country is its longest standing programme. Some of the
farmers the charity worked with in the early years have
Most of those that Send a Cow works with are women who tend become successful business owners and have adult chil-
to be the poorest in their communities dren at university, providing evidence of lasting benefit.
Send a Cow Uganda is now an autonomous organisation
Send a Cow believes in food security but its work is cen- with its own trustees, largely funded by the UK opera-
tred also on the wider aims of happier families, greater tion.
community spirit, greater gender equity, better health,
housing and education, more spiritual fulfilment and Rwanda
greater dignity.
In Rwanda, Send a Cow has helped many communities
The charity aims to help people address lack of ed-
damaged by the Rwandan Genocide to work together to
ucation, low self-confidence, isolation and prejudice by
find solutions to poverty.
providing agricultural assistance, and the support and
Send a Cow provides people in Rwanda with good
skills needed to make use of it.
quality cows, goats and smaller animals to replace live-
Send a Cow’s work in Africa is based on groups and
stock lost in the Genocide, and trains them in sustainable
the strong community spirit that characterises African
organic farming and environmental protection tech-
society. Country staff are African and work closely with
niques.
groups to decide how the charity can best assist the
groups to operate more fairly and effectively.
Ethiopia
The focus in Ethiopia is on training in natural resource
The Pass It On principle management to reduce dependence on food aid between
Sharing knowledge and skills is a unique aspect of Send a harvests: enabling farmers to make the best use of soil,
Cow’s work. Each farmer that receives training, seeds or rainfall and livestock to develop a productive farming
livestock from the charity commits to ‘pass on’ the bene- system that does not harm the fragile environment.
fits to another needy family in the community strength- Most families already own livestock, so Send a Cow
ening communities and enables Send a Cow to benefit does not often provide animals but instead trains farmers
more people. in how to manage their livestock better, keeping them
Communities attend Pass On ceremonies where next- healthy and productive.
generation animals, seedlings and skills are shared, giv-
ing poor people the opportunity to give to other people, Lesotho
lifting their self-esteem and transforming their commu- Send A Cow introduced a pioneering vegetable-growing
nity’s perception of them. method called keyhole gardens in Lesotho, which pro-
Research undertaken in Uganda by Bright World Con- duce food throughout the extremes of summer and win-
sult showed that for every one farmer trained in sustain- ter.
able organic farming, those practices are then adopted by Farmers benefiting from this effective method pass
an average of seven community members, when they see on the knowledge to their neighbours and diversity into
increased productivity on their neighbours’ land.[4] new markets.
Send a Cow also provide some poultry, rabbits and
goats. Milk from dairy goats is thought to be good for
people with HIV/AIDS, which is about a quarter of Le-
sotho’s adult population.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Send a Cow
Kenya in Rwanda and northern Uganda funded by the Diana,
Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.
Send a Cow provides support in the Western Province
• Multiplier Research Report [10]. Carried out by an
through its partner, the non-governmental organisation
independent consultant in Uganda to examine the wider
Heifer Kenya [3].
impact of Send a Cow’s work.
• Great Lakes Programme Evaluation Report
Zambia 2001-2004 [11]. Conducted by independent consultants
Send a Cow works in the Eastern Province of Zambia working closely with Send a Cow Uganda and Send a
through its partner, the non-governmental organisation Cow Rwanda staff, for Comic Relief’s Children’s Promise
Heifer Zambia. fund. The programme targeted child-headed households,
orphans living with relatives, and widows struggling to
Cameroon care for children.
Send a Cow works in Cameroon through its partner, the
non-governmental organisation Heifer Cameroon. Rwanda
Training in water harvesting, and integration of live- • Post-Conflict Sustainable Agriculture Programme Im-
stock such as goats into a sustainable farming system, is pact Assessment, 2008 [12]. See Uganda.
provided in the the Far North Province, the poorest re- • Natural Resource-based Agriculture in Send a Cow
gion, to help combat the effects of months of drought fol- Rwanda – Review, 2008 [13]. Carried out by Send a Cow
lowed by intense downpours. UK.
In the central and southern regions, families are provid- • Great Lakes Programme Evaluation Report
ed with grasscutters (a cane rat that grows to about 8 kg 2001-2004 [14]. See Uganda.
and is much prized for its meat) for breeding, providing
an income and additional protein in the diet and helping Lesotho
to reduce the destruction of forests by bush-meat hunt-
• Send a Cow Lesotho Evaluation Report. An external
ing. This also enables families to set up ‘backyard gar-
evaluation of all aspects of the programme, conducted in
dens’ to grow vegetables.
2008 [15].
Kenya
Research • Sustainable Organic Agriculture and Social Develop-
Send a Cow has undertaken research highlighted by its ment Assessment, Send a Cow/ Heifer Kenya Western Re-
Foundation Series reports, focusing on climate change gion 2007 [16]. Carried out by Send a Cow UK.
[4], organic agriculture [5] and social development [6]. • Western Kenya Mid-Term Review Impact Assess-
These are an introduction to Send a Cow and a refer- ment, 2006 [17]. Carried out by independent consultants
ence point for ongoing debate on issues such as environ- for Send a Cow and Heifer Kenya.
mental impacts of farming, social development and nat-
ural farming vs use of fertilizers.
The charity has also conducted further research into
Schools
its individual projects: Send a Cow is one of a number of education organisations
which include in their objectives the enrichment of
Uganda school activities with a global dimension, at the same
time helping schools to achieve Eco or Sustainable School
• Northern Uganda Stockaid Extension Programme Mid-
status.
Term Evaluation Review 2006 [7]. Conducted by an inde-
Send a Cow provides lesson plans, fundraising activi-
pendent consultant working with Send a Cow Uganda, for
ties, vegetable growing kits and fun web resources.
Comic Relief. Focusing on gender equality and women’s
The charity also has volunteers who regularly visit
status.
schools and groups to give talks about the charity’s pro-
• Impact Study of Farmers’ Associations: AWA Masaka
jects.
and BMW Iganga, Uganda 2006 [8]. Conducted by inde-
pendent consultants for Send a Cow UK and Send a Cow
Uganda. The farmers’ associations are based in two dif-
Build an African farmyard
ferent areas of Uganda, and comprise mainly women. The idea behind ‘Build an African Farmyard’[18] is that
• Post-Conflict Sustainable Agriculture Programme a mural is created, over time, to display in schools or
Impact Assessment, 2008 [9]. Carried out by independent churches depicting a typical Send a Cow East African
consultants for Send a Cow UK to examine programmes small farm. Send a Cow provides a downloadable pack
including illustrations of farm elements such as animals
and crops for photocopying, colouring in, and adding
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Send a Cow
textiles to. The pack also contains information about Send a Cow. They also have stands at local events and or-
Africa and about Send a Cow’s work, plus fundraising ganise fundraising.
ideas.
Regional Co-ordinators
African gardens Regional Co-ordinators are senior volunteers across the
An ‘African Garden’[19] teaches pupils about the lives country who lead teams of Ambassadors, providing them
of children in Africa through hands-on activities. Send with support and encouragement; help to interview new
a Cow provides lesson ideas, starter kits and videos to volunteers; organiseg regional meetings, and liaise with
get children learning about growing plants, the environ- staff at Head Office to ensure volunteers are supported.
ment, recycling and healthy eating.
Church Reps
Grow it Global Church Representatives encourage their church to sup-
Grow it Global [20] takes pupils onto UK farms for practi- port Send a Cow through prayer and financial support.
cal sessions on sustainable development, food issues and
climate change. Local Links
During their Grow it Global experience, children meet Local Links support Send a Cow’s work by regularly
with UK farmers and visiting African farmers on UK fundraising, organising stands at events, giving out lit-
farms. The farmers demonstrate gardening techniques erature or encouraging local groups to invite an Ambas-
that the children can adopt at home or school, helping sador to speak to them.
children to understand more about the lives of children
in Uganda and Lesotho.
The project is funded by the Department for Inter- References
national Development [21] and is based on the learning [1] http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/
themes of food production and security, sustainable de- ShowCharity/RegisterOfCharities/
velopment, climate change and the similarities and dif- CharityWithPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=299717&Subsid
ferences between the UK and African countries. [2] http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/
news.aspx?action=view&id=4146
Teaching resources [3] ’Preparing to Climate Proof: The next challenge for
Send a Cow offers materials [22] to help teachers bring Africa’s rural poor’ Published by Send a Cow 2008
Africa and Send a Cow into the classroom. Materials in- Authors: Richie Alford and Simon Penney
clude posters, DVDs, lesson plans and sticker sheets. [4] Insert ’Going Organic: Supporting African farmers
to feed themselves’ Published by Send a Cow 2009
Authors: Richie Alford, Send a Cow UK; Shelia
Volunteer network Taylor, Kulika Uganda Contributors: Alice
Send a Cow relies heavily volunteers to encourage people Kinegyere-Mago, Dr. John Wibberley
in their community to support its work and fundraise.
Ambassadors External links
Send a Cow have Ambassadors who give presentations to • Send a Cow website
schools, churches and clubs about how people can help
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Categories:
• Animal charities based in the United Kingdom
• Sustainability organisations
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