Ronvince Kiggundu and her family of three (her husband and two grandchildren) are residents of Kyotera, Uganda. Before they received a cow that provided them a far better life, their family’s nutrition was poor and they could not afford to buy food to eat or let alone milk. From the lack of nutrition they each regularly were sick and needed medical treatment for their poor diets. Additionally, with the responsibility of paying for her grandchildren’s school fees, a sustainable income was greatly needed.
“We were first trained in sustainable agriculture that included livestock and plantation practices as well as proper home sanitation/hygiene skills.
After we constructed a cow shed we receive an in-calf cow whose milk we drink and sell. Our family health has improved thanks to the nutrition we gain from drinking the cows milk each day. From the milk production of 12 litres, we drink 2 liters at home and sell the rest to earn us an average month income of UGX 300,000 ($80 USD).
We are now enable to pay our grandchildren’s school fees and also started other income generating projects like growing and selling coffee beans, a piggery and local poultry shop. This income has enabled us install a solar system and repaired our leaky water harvesting tank that helps collect rainy water to keep our crops growing despite the weather.
Additionally, the manure from these home projects has helped increase crops quality and quantity. We can afford three meals a day whereas some crops like tomatoes, coffee and maize are sold seasonally to get extra income.
After we pass on the female cow have we have now, in the future we hope to expand our herd size so as to have increased milk production and daily income.”
– Ronvince Kiggundu, Age 54