Animal Airlifts & Field Work Update
 ANIMAL AIRLIFTS
KOSOVO
August 2005:
Bóthar celebrated the arrival of 70 in calf dairy heifers to Kosovo. These were distributed to 70 individual families around the country who had been specially trained in how to care for them.
TANZANIA
September 2005:
Bóthar sent 200 dairy goats from Marie Seymour’s farm in Co. Tipperary to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania where 200 families are waiting to receive them.
FIELD WORK UPDATES
EQUADOR/PERU
Bi-national project
This project will help 2,000 families in the border areas of Ecuador and Peru, 2 countries with a chequered past of conflict with each other. By distributing livestock such as hair sheep, goats, ducks, beehives and improved cook-stoves and encouraging improved, environmentally friendly, agricultural practices, the extreme poverty in this region will be tackled.
HONDURAS:
Integrated farms project with a gender focus
Honduras, a country situated in Central America, has been ravaged by war and hurricane damage in recent decades. It remains one of the poorest countries in the South American continent. Hurricane Mitch devastated the whole country in 1998 and the country’s people are still recovering from that traumatic event. As part of the country’s rehabilitation process Bóthar and its partners in the field will implement a number of livestock related projects. The animals involved will be dairy cattle, dairy goats, fish, poultry and pigs. The families participating in this project are small-scale producers working on hillsides who have been affected by the sharp decline in international prices for coffee and basic grains. This project will assist a part of Honduras and its people to get themselves back on their feet.
PERU:
High Andean Mountains umbrella project
In the southern highlands of Peru extreme poverty prevails amongst the local people. Here in the Andean mountains the climate is harsh making living conditions difficult. The main source of livelihood in these areas is the raising of alpacas, llamas and sheep. In these areas there are natural wetland pastures (bofedales) which these livestock graze on, but current agricultural practices have placed this vital eco-system under threat. Under this project, families will be given alpacas, llamas, sheep, cows, guinea pigs and poultry. In addition to this veterinary supply kits will be provided, land will be reforested, and eco-tourism facilities will be constructed. By training the local families in new and improved farming techniques that have the environment’s preservation as a high priority, this rare ecosystem will be preserved and the economic future of its inhabitants will be secure.
MALAWI:
Small-scale livestock, fish and bee production
Bóthar is continuing its good work in Malawi, funding a large-scale project in partnership with a number of organisations. The main focus of the project is small-scale farmers who will be trained on improved farming techniques and allocated dairy goats, pigs, guinea fowl, local breed chickens, fish and honeybees. The communities that receive these animals are situated throughout Malawi. The project also includes a HIV/AIDS sensitisation course to tackle the disease that is affecting economic development in the country. The good work of this project is helping Malawians, whose country is one of the poorest in the world, to plot a more hopeful future.
BURKINA FASO:
Year 2 of the Koper livestock project
Bóthar has continued its presence in the West African country of Burkina Faso. The Koper Livestock project is moving into the second year of operation. Dairy cows, goats and sheep have been provided in the first year of the project and pass-ons and additional livestock will be distributed in the second year. Oil presses will be provided for the production of shea nut butter, a local product, and tree seedlings are also provided to combat soil erosion.
The Bó Vine Christmas 2005
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