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"It is not a once-off gift - it really is the gift that keeps on giving. Little did I think 11 years ago, the donation I made, would still be having an impact on the local community. I was privleged to see the changes that our donation has made to the lives of those directly affected by this very simple, yet priceless gift."
-Shaun Lynch November 2006

Christine Tebajwa, who received the heifer donated by Shaun Lynch, pictured here with Shaun and Liz.

In 1995 Shaun and Liz Lynch, who live in Duleek, Co. Meath, decided to make a gift that would keep on giving, and they selected one of the finest friesian heifers on their farm, to travel to a new family and life in Uganda.

A few months earlier in Uganda, Christine Tebajwa, a widow with 12 dependents, learned about the Bóthar programme through a neighbouring woman who had already received a heifer. Christine applied and joined her local Bóthar community group in Uganda and started attending meetings and trainings to learn how the programme would help her.

After months of intensive training in livestock management, pasture establishment, shed construction and other related topics, Christine started preparing for a heifer.

Back in Ireland, the Lynchs had been taking special care of the heifer they had selected for Bóthar. She was put in-calf to a friesian bull and cared for as she received her vaccinations and her animal passport that would allow her to fly.

When the time was ready the Lynch’s put their heifer in their trailer and drove to county Limerick to a heifer collection point. There, she joined 70 other friesian heifers to make the last leg of their journey to a new life in the developing world.

On the same day in Uganda, Christine’s facilities were inspected and she finally got confirmation that she would be receiving an Irish dairy heifer.

On December 21, 1995 the Lynch’s heifer took off from Shannon airport Co. Clare and landed in Entebbe airport, Uganda. By nightfall that evening she was settled into her new home with Christine’s family. Christine named the heifer Nazigumira which means Patience.

Since that day Christine’s cow has calved 8 times (5 females and 3 bulls). It’s highest milk production was 25 litres per day.

In keeping with all Bóthar programmes, Christine passed on the first female calf born to her animal to another struggling family who had also completed the training and preparations to receive her.

In turn that family passed on the first female calf born to their animal, the next family passed on the first female calf born to their animal and so on it has continued from 1995 up to the present day.

Christine passed on the first female heifer born to Nazigumira to Agnes Balikuddembe in August 1998. Agnes in turn passed on the first female heifer calf born to her heifer. She retained the second heifer, which has calved 6 times (4 females and 2 bulls) and the third female with 2 calves (2 females).

Currently, Christine has a herd of 5 cattle (3 cows, 1 heifer and 1 bull calf) on her farm. Nazigumira is still alive and doing well. Christine says this is a great achievement for a rural woman who had never thought of keeping exotic dairy cattle. The gift of an in-calf heifer has helped the family to lift themselves out of poverty and will continue to benefit her family for years to come.

Christine and her family have enjoyed various benefits since they received their precious living gift from the Lynch’s

The health of Christine and her 12 dependents has improved dramatically due to drinking the nutritious milk provided by Nazigumira and her off spring. They consume about four litres of milk a day. In addition to this they have added cheese, butter and yogurt to their diet.

The family’s started to earn a regular income through the sale of surplus milk and milk products. Christine can sell up to 40 litres of milk per day.

Christine has also supplemented her income through the sale of the bull calves and heifers born to Nazigumira. To date she has sold 6 heifers and 5 bulls.

Another source of income has come through the sale of manure to farmers in her area.

With income provided through the sale of milk, cattle and manure, Christine finally had the money required to send her children to school. 11 of her children were sent to school for the very first time. In the time since Christine received her heifer from Lynch’s she has taken 3 children into care - two of whom were abandoned by their parents and one whose parents died of HIV/AIDS.

Christine has managed to build three iron-roofed units for her children and she now embarked on building the main family permanent house.

Passing on

Agnes and her family received the first pass-on heifer from Christine’s family on August 13, 1998. Agnes is married and has 10 dependents.

Prior to their gift from Christine, Agnes’ family experienced extreme poverty and used to eat only one meal a day. However, since they received their pass-on heifer, their lives have changed dramatically, so much so, that the family’s health has greatly improved with the introduction of a more balanced diet including 5 litres of nutritious milk per day.

Agnes named the heifer after her daughter Melda. Melda has calved 7 times (4 females and 3 bulls) and produces 24 litres of milk per day. The family has now a herd of 4 cattle including the pass-on received from Christine.

With the income Agnes has earned from selling the surplus milk and animals, she has been able to educate 8 of her children, complete the building of their permanent house, build rental units and finally establish a piggery unit.

Agnes is excited to have passed on an off-spring to another family.

Passing on . . . again

Hadija received her pass-on gift of a heifer from Agnes in June 2001. This cow has calved 3 times (1 bull and 2 females). The average milk produced per day is 20 litres so Hadija’s family has enough to drink, sell and earn a daily income. They currently keep a herd of 3 cattle (1 cow, 1 heifer and 1 female calf). The manure from the cow has improved the fertility of their land and has lead to improved crop production.

The cows have brought the family closer together as they all participate in the production process.

Hadija is happy because she too became a donor and was able to complete her contract by passing on a heifer to the family of Anne Wakiro on April 28, 2003.

Passing on . . . again . . . and again . . .

Anna Wakiro, the third person to receive the pass-on, is pictured here with her heifer.

Anna Wakiro is a widow with a family of 10 children and 5 grand children. They are the third family to benefit from the original Bóthar heifer.

Her cow has calved 2 times (1 female and 1 bull) who between them yield 20 litres of milk a day. The family consumes 4 litres, 4 litres for the calf and the balance is sold to raise income.

Before her husband passed away, the Wakiro family used to work together in order to meet the family’s needs. However, life has not been easy since his death because Anna, as a single parent, had to meet all the family’s requirements.

However, with the gift of a heifer, Anna has been able to use the extra milk sales to pay school fees for her children. The family members look healthy because they are feeding on milk and the cow dung has been used as manure to increase yields in food crops produced, which assures the family of food security.

Anna has since sold the bull and has been able to connect electricity to her house. She has also been able to complete her living loan of passing on a gift to Rose and her family.

Passing on . . . again . . . and again . . . and again

Rose Kilbete pictured with her dairy heifer.

Rose Kibete is a widow, has ten children and is the only family provider. Some of the older children have migrated to the nearby town and although they do work, unfortunately they do not earn enough to assist their mother.

Rose and her family are the fifth benefactors of the original Bóthar heifer. She received her pass-on on September 19, 2005 after carrying out the necessary preparations which included planting pastures, training and constructing a housing unit.

She learned that working hard without proper planning does not necessarily mean becoming successful. From the knowledge she acquired she has now planned on how to maximize the use of her limited land to get more output.

She prays that in the future she will get the opportunity to pass-on to another needy family so that the pass-on chain of the Bóthar heifer that started with Christine Tebajwa continues to serve more families in Uganda.

To commemorate Bóthar’s 15th anniversary Shaun and his wife Liz, the donors of the initial in-calf heifer, recently travelled to Uganda to meet the five families that they helped through the Bóthar programme.