Apaikunda is a mother of seven in the village of Ngyeku in Tanzania. Her husband passed away, leaving her to care for her young children on her own. She works as a weeder for other people since she does not own any land. In addition to the challenges of being a single parent, Apaikunda is living with HIV. Our ECHO East Africa team collaborated with local partners and village leaders to select 100 low-income families to participate in an Irish dairy goat program. Before receiving a goat, ECHO trainings prepared participants to care for these imported goats, a breed that produces more milk than local goat breeds.
After the trainings, Apaikunda and her neighbor combined resources to build a shared shelter for their goats. The goat milk provides a nutritional source to improve the family’s diet. A healthier diet helps Apaikunda fight off infection and manage HIV. During a follow-up visit, Apaikunda excitedly reported that her dairy goat was pregnant. She’ll pass one offspring to another family. The others can be sold for income or kept as an additional food supply for the family. She can now cover school fees and make necessary repairs to her home.
