Giving goats in Eritrea
November 5, 2004
Political and
economic troubles, and outbreaks of conflict, have dogged Eritrea since it
achieved independence from Ethiopia after decades of war in 1991. Extreme
poverty now exists across the country. CAFOD spent £413,000 in Eritrea in
2003-04
Major problems
include:
Loss of livelihood:
severe drought has forced people to sell their assets to buy food, leaving them
without the seeds, tools or animals needed to cultivate the land.
Conflict: The war
itself disrupted the economy and local markets, and left many people
traumatised.
In response to
this, CAFOD is supporting, among others:
The Eritrean
Catholic Secretariat - providing assistance in areas worst affected by the
drought, with the aim of improving people's health and helping local farmers to
resume production of crops and livestock.
One of the ways
they are doing this is distributing goats to 1,500 farming families.
The Catholic
Eparchal Secretariat of Keren is working to help women earn an income to
support themselves and their families.
Over three years, they will provide 450 women with goats, and, in
conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture, run training courses on animal
husbandry.
Source: Catholic Agency for Overseas Development
Date: 4 Nov 2004
Unlimited, high
