Imagine a world where the bridge between the rich and the poor was significantly reduced.
Steve Down’s concept of cause capitalism seeks to achieve this by distributing the world’s wealth to the less privileged in society. Cause capitalism merges a for-profit company with a non-profit company for a sustainable partnership. The for-profit companies share a certain percentage of their profits with the non-profit organization, which reaches out to the needy and helps the marginalized communities.
World Causecoin is keen on financing several charitable projects across Africa, with cause capitalism in mind. The Goat Foundation is one of our beneficiaries. The foundation distributes goats to the most vulnerable families in Africa, starting with Kenya, and aims to give hope by giving goats.
The families also receive basic financial literacy to enable them to create sustainable income and wealth and reduce cases of donor reliance.
Why The Goat Foundation?
The UN’s sustainable development goal 2 is to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. This is exactly what The Goat Foundation aims at; eliminating hunger in the vulnerable communities and providing sustainability among themselves.
80% of the land in Kenya is classified as arid and semi-arid, and about 20% of the Kenyan population lives in these areas. Because of scarce resources like water and pasture, there is a rivalry between communities in these areas. Cattle rearing is popular among these families, but since the cows require high maintenance, the families are forced to move between places in search of pasture and water resources.
The Goat Foundation identifies this as a deterrent to achieving sustainability. The foundation, founded in 2019, idealizes goat distributions to these individual vulnerable homes, majorly focusing on women.
Why women, though? According to the UN Focus on Women and the SDG 2- zero hunger report, women in Africa and the world at large are more likely to report cases of food insecurity compared to men. The foundation focuses on alleviating the living conditions of widows across Africa without the funds to meet their needs.
Why Not Chicken or Cows?
The answer is pretty simple; climate-smart agriculture!
Goats require minimal care and can survive in hostile climatic conditions, and they are an excellent option for small-scale farmers. The goats help the families gain their basic needs, including food, and the financial literacy they get goes a long way toward ensuring they can sustain themselves in the long run.
Goat milk is rich in vitamin A, an excellent source of vitamins that prevent malnutrition in children. This can prevent kwashiorkor, marasmus, and anaemia, among other diseases caused by malnutrition.
The goats can also be a good source of income for these homes. They can sell goat meat and goatskin, which can be a raw material for the leather industry. Besides, during the research stage, the foundation realized that many families consider goats to symbolize wealth.
The goat distribution events promote a giving-back culture in society. The recipient families are expected to donate back the firstborn goat to help out another family in need. This act inspires hope among communities and creates sustainability as it uplifts them from intense poverty.
Goat Distribution Events: Previous Editions
Since its inception, the foundation has distributed 150 goats to over 125 families across three different countries.
Early last year, the Goat Foundation donated over 200 goats in Nunguni, Kitui County, and Bondo, Siaya County, both in Kenya. These marked the first and second editions of the Goat Foundation, respectively.
The third edition came in the mid-last year at Kathiani, Machakos County still in Kenya. Fifty vulnerable women received a pair of goats; a she-goat and a he-goat. The county’s senator Agnes Kavindu Muthama also attended the function and aided the 50 households with bags of rice cooking oil and green grams.
In March this year, the Goat Foundation held its fourth edition in Kalama, Machakos, where 50 families received a pair of goats.
Upcoming Distribution
The foundation has identified that goat farming in rural Kenya is a sure strategy for wealth creation among vulnerable families. It is gearing up for the upcoming 5th edition of goat distributions.
The event is set to happen on Saturday, 23rd April 2022, in Bahari, Kilifi County. Again 100 households will be receiving 200 goats, alongside some financial literacy to set them on the right path to self-sustenance.
World Causecoin partners with The Goat Foundation, alongside other non-profit organizations, to help redistribute the world’s wealth and reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. World Causecoin shares 3% of its profits from CAUSE tokens to The Goat Foundation and other partners to finance their charitable projects.
