The Guardian Project has expanded rapidly here in Rwanda over the last 2 weeks.
We are excited to report that we will be providing 300 goats ( as they thrive better in that climate than sheep) to a cooperative in a community located next to Nyungwe National Park in SE Rwanda.
We will source the animals locally so that an additional 250+ farmers will benefit from the income.
And meanwhile in Musanze, 230 sheep were given to the last group of a 700 member Amizero cooperative. Some of these sheep were the last of those being paid forward by the Porters Club.
We have begun providing 360 sheep to 3 groups in a 1007 member Women's cooperative, purchasing sheep from the Porters Club from members who had completed the terms of their contract and were now generating income from excess sheep! how wonderful!
Lets look at where we are at this point...
Each family that receives a sheep has approximately 6 members (father, mother and children), as does each family that benefits from the income of the sale of a sheep.
So, if we do the math,
550 families x 6 members = 3,300 men, women and children in Nyungwe
1,140 families x 6 members = 6,840 men, women and children in Musanze
Total = 10,140 men women and children benefit from just this small phase of The Guardian Project's on-going efforts.
This number is only an approximation, and it may actually be higher.
Add this number to those already benefiting from the Guardian Project over the last 2 years,approximately 12,000 men, women and children
Total approximately 22,140 men, women and children in two and a half years
and you quickly realize what an incredible impact The Guardian Project makes to the community.
We are also proud to report that the first 220 farmers who received sheep two and a half years ago have now completed the terms of their contract, and have each paid forward a sheep to another cooperative, in addition to agreeing to maintain 3 females for continued breeding.
Some of these farmers now have as many as 8 sheep of their own, though most have 4 or 5.
And these farmers are proud to report that they will be selling sheep to The Guardian Project as we continue to expand, so they are now generating income as well.
Many farmers have also sold excess sheep to cover school fees for their children and family health insurance.
We estimate that, as sheep in the project are continually multiplying, the project has generated a conservative estimate of approximately 5,826 sheep to date in the 4 districts attached to the PNV alone.
And all these sheep have been generating large quantities of manure, which is in turn generating a high quality fertilizer that has already increased crop yields, in some cases, by up to 300%.
That increased crop yield also generates additional income!
And anything that helps stabilize and strengthen the lives of the communities around the national parks helps to ensure the protection and conservation of the wildlife inside.
And all of this doesn't even begin to take into account the close to 1,000 goats that will be provided to the cooperatives we will be working with in Northern Uganda.
But that's a story for another day, so stay tuned.
There will be shit!
Sent from my iPa
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