Thanks to Paul, Solomon and Esther, the past few weeks have seen a flurry of activity for The Shit Starts Here, both in Rwanda and Uganda.
In northern Rwanda we have completed our work with the 740+ members of the Amizero Cooperative with the delivery of 187 female sheep and 35 males.
Paul, as always, must be commended on his commitment and patience, as the reality of tagging and distributing such a large number of sheep takes HOURS, even with the help of the reps from the Rwandan Development Board.
And we continue to work with the 1,000+ members of the Women's Cooperative, recently delivering 207 female sheep and 42 males.
In southern Rwanda we are officially up and running in the Nyungwe area, home to the largest concentration of primates in all of Africa.
The first Cooperative we are working with is the 241 member Nyungwe Nziza Project.
We met the leaders of the groups that make up the cooperative back in February, 2013.
They are, like every cooperative we've worked with, ready and eager, to have the opportunity to work hard to improve their circumstances and create the same opportunity for other members of their community.
And we welcome Zebulon, a young Rwandan veterinarian, who will be overseeing operations there, under Paul's guidance.
Zebulon
As I write, roughly 120 sheep and goats are being sourced locally to provide the first half of the cooperative with animals.
Stay tuned for photos.
Meanwhile, in northern Uganda, we have begun working with the Barlonyo Cooperative, made up mostly of survivors of the Joseph Kony lead massacre of over 300 men, women and children.
The scarcity of sheep and goats in the area meant that we had to bring them in by truck, sourcing from nearby markets, which still produces a trickle-down effect in the larger community.
Distribution of the first 100 animals was assisted by the Rotary Club of nearby Lira and coordinated to coincide with their AIDS/HIV testing so that the farmers only had to make the long walk once.
Next up, we begin sourcing sheep and goats for the community in Kamdini, living on the edge of Murchison Falls National Park and near Budongo Forest, so once again we are aware that anything that helps stabilize the communities outside these parks helps to ensure the welfare of the animals inside.
