Eight-year-old James was born in a family with five children: one girl and four boys. When he was 18 months old, his mother, Retina, learned that he had cerebral palsy. He has difficulty sitting upright, needs assistance eating and has difficulty speaking. Much of Retina’s time is spent looking after James.
People with disability living in rural areas of Zimbabwe often have little support. They rely on their family members to care for them, meaning their families have less time to be involved in farming to earn an income. Small-scale farms are an opportunity to earn a sustainable income to help families pay for food, medical care and other essentials. If the person with disability is able, they can assist to care for the animals.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Farming Project, run by GMP relief and development partners Christian Care, supports vulnerable communities to develop initiatives for food security. This includes supporting people with disability, like James. The project assists families to raise small-scale farms with livestock, such as turkeys, rabbits, chickens or goats. James and his family received two turkeys and two goats! Both James’ mother and father are unemployed, so the Conservation Farming Project has brought the family new hope for a positive future.
The goats have multiplied to four and there are now 11 turkeys. Retina sold some of the turkeys and bought clothes and food for James and the whole family. The family also slaughtered two of the turkeys for meat for the family. They constructed a pen for both the turkeys and the goats. The two female goats are pregnant again and three of the turkeys are laying eggs, hence James’ stock is increasing. James’ mother has taken thirty eggs to a local farmer who runs an incubator to be hatched. Soon James will have over thirty turkeys. A mature turkey sells at US$20 and a mature goat at US$40.
James’ family now has a small-scale farm!
You can’t put a turkey on a plane and send it to Zimbabwe, but you can purchase a Turkey from the Great Gifts Catalogue! You can send support to our local GMP partners like Christian Care, who will assist vulnerable families in the community with turkeys and goats.
James’ mother and father appreciate the assistance given to their family. Retina said, “My son now owns goats and turkeys and it was never going to be possible without the project.”
Give a Great Gift with real impact and send support to places like Zimbabwe to help people like James!
The Zimbabwe Conservation project is run in partnership with Act for Peace.
Christian Care’s Conservation Farming Project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).