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Mercy mission - Cecily Morris meets Celestine and Angelique Gatera, whose family of seven survives thanks to Send a Cow

IT may not seem like the most glamorous of presents but those who receive it have dubbed it the gift of life.

This year, the Send a Cow charity celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Born from the simple idea that the gift of livestock and the training in how to keep it can help rebuild wartorn communities, the charity was founded in 1988 in response to a plea from a Ugandan bishop.

The country had been devastated by a long civil war: People had lost their homes and cattle, and milk had become a luxury that few could afford.

The bishop had heard there were milk surpluses in the UK, and appealed to British farmers for help.

Send a Cow now works in ten countries: Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Zambia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Ghana and Mozambique.

It supports new and established projects by supplying cows, goats, bees and fruit trees, and it has also started to provide donkeys, breeding goats and bulls, oxen and sheep.

For local ambassador Cicely Morris, Send a Cow has been a passion since 1990 and she became an ambassador in 2000.

She explained: "Send a Cow provides livestock and training to families in Africa.

"The aim is to supply farmers with the means and skills to work their way out of poverty for good, as well as the livestock to get them started."

Cicely, of Glenbervie Drive, Leigh, said: "I saw a television programme about it and was so impressed by the simple, comprehensive practicality of the work and the fact it is life changing for those we help. When Send a Cow is asked to help each group or a village chooses a beneficiary and without fail they always choose the poorest."

Having supported the charity's work from afar by raising much needed funds, as an ambassador Cicely got the chance to visit Rwanda on a study trip in May, to learn more about how the charity helps in the field.

It was to be a steep learning curve of the 70-odd-year-old who refuses to admit her exact age.

"What I used to say glibly about the charity and the people it supports I now say with real feeling having seen it for myself," she said. "The first widow I met, Joslin Gabere, apologised for being sad but she had buried 56 genocide victims from her own family only two weeks before and was still suffering. It was incredibly humbling.

"They are still having to cope with the effects of the genocide. Some people are living next door to the people that killed their loved ones and have served their sentences.

"However, by getting people into community groups training them in sustainable farming methods, using manure to restore soil, and organic pesticides, they are working together and supporting each other.

"They are forgiving and forming friendships. It gave me immense admiration for these people.

"Our animals live in large airy shelters so they are safe and their manure can be collected.

"It also helps to ensure any goats don't destroy the local vegetation, which has been a criticism in the past."

For Celestine and Angelique Gatera, who live in Rwanda, the scheme has been a lifeline.

"With seven in the family they are entirely dependent on the subsistence farming skills taught by Send a Cow.

Celestine said: "The techniques that Send a Cow teach are not difficult, you just have to understand them. You use a small piece of land to maximise productivity and prevent soil erosion with mulching. We have also learned how to make environmentally-friendly pest control. We used to have to buy it."

Celestine was given a cow which he named Humuce, meaning multiplier, which has recently calved. She will pass this calf on to someone else in need.

Cicely explained: "It is an integral part of our work that all beneficiaries pass on the first offspring or part of the harvest to another beneficiary who is currently preparing for it."

For Cicely, meeting those benefitting from Send a Cow has made her more determined than ever to continue her fundraising and awareness raising. I love people, and finding out how they live so this was a wonderful and thought-provoking experience. I am delighted to have seen with my own eyes that we are doing some good and really making a difference out there."

For more information visit the website by clicking the link below or call 01255 874222.

4:06am Thursday 26th June 2008

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