Goat Delivery Update: March 2019

Do you ever wonder how we transport 600 goats across a war-torn country with only 12 miles of paved roads? Here is a sneak peak into what our on-site staff has been up to these last 3 months.

Our Team

Luckily for us, we have the best of the best on the ground. Luka Garang and Angelo Thiik have been hard at work purchasing goats from markets and towns across the country, and hand delivering them to communities in need. These last 3 months they delivered 600 goats to vulnerable people on the outskirts of Lol State and Aweil East State. After purchasing the goats, they administered vaccines to ensure that the goats remain healthy and strong during the trip and provide nutritious milk for their new families. Following their vaccines, the biggest challenge was finding a way to get the goats to the intended community. This often involves multiple days of pot-hole, mud-filled travel, without the luxury of air conditioning or gas stations.

Our People

When we first start working with a community, it always very humbling to see the tribe bring out the most at-risk individuals to receive their goats. More often then not, they are so malnourished that their hair is falling out and changing colors, their eyes are yellow, and their stomachs protrude awkwardly from the rest of their body. I saw one lady who had to be transported around in a wheel-barrel by her granddaughter because she was so weak. On that same trip we visited a nearby tribe that we had visited 1 year earlier. We were happy to see that most of these same symptoms had disappeared since our last visit. Their goat population had multiplied, and the people were much stronger and healthier. We will continue to return to these communities and make sure that every individual eventually receives a goat, and that their herd remains self-sustainable, eventually creating economic opportunity for their futures.

Our Donors

We are so grateful for all of our donors’ help in making this all possible. We recognize that the goat delivery has been slower than anticipated, due to travel and political restrictions. We are indebted to our on-sight volunteers who dedicate their precious time to ensure that our operations run as smoothly as possible! As of the time of this post we have nearly 2000 goats that have been purchased and are pending delivery! We recognize that about 900 of these are behind schedule, and we are working our hardest to get the goats there as safely and as quickly as possible. Thank you for understanding the time delays and we hope that you will continue to invest in the people of South Sudan!

Comments(10)

M.L. BERRYMAN says
2019-12-10 at 9:54 am
WHILE SADDENED BY SUCH NEWS, THIS UPDATE DID EXPLAIN WHY MY ‘GOAT DELIVERIES’ WERE NOT MADE UNTIL CIRCA OCTOBER. PRAYING YOU HAVE AN EASIER TIME IN 2020.
- REPLY
  Sharon Edwards says
  2019-12-13 at 3:53 pm
  Thanks M.L. fortunately we are making progress and getting caught up. We’ve made over 1,000 goat deliveries in the last 3 months and will be totally caught up by March.
Mel Hershey says
2019-12-10 at 8:29 pm
Since almost half of the goat delivery is behind schedule due to the reasons mentioned, are additional goats really required at thus time? It would seen that delivery issues vs goat purchases would cost significant funds to take care of the goats that were already purchased. I would like to help, however, not sure this is the best time. Thanks for all you do!
- REPLY
  Sharon Edwards says
  2019-12-13 at 3:52 pm
  Hi Mel! We sent out an update earlier this year letting our donors know that we are getting caught up with ALL our goat donations and we will be 100% caught up by March. We’ve had a break through working with local leaders, and our volunteers on the ground are working around the clock.
Charles Hunt says
2019-12-12 at 12:21 pm
Do I get a ‘certificate’ indicating a Goat was purchased & sent in his name?
This goat is his Christmas present.
- REPLY
  Sharon Edwards says
  2019-12-13 at 3:51 pm
  Hi Charles! Yes – you will get a certificate stating what was donated. You can leave a note in the order notes specifying who you’d like to dedicate the goat to and we will include their name as well.
  - REPLY
    Carolee Kass says
    2019-12-17 at 8:44 am
    i just ordered a goat for a Christmas present. Will i receive an announcement to give the gift to a friend.? I also ordered a T-shirt. Will i get that before Christmas?
    
    Codi Peterson says
    2019-12-30 at 5:07 pm
    Hi Carolee! You should have received both the certificate and the t-shirt before Christmas. Let me know if you had any issues.
Kelly E says
2019-12-22 at 11:04 pm
I hope this small gift is helpful to these poor people.
God speed in your great work.
Carol King says
2019-12-24 at 9:00 pm
I pray every night for the goat that you delivered in my sweet late husband’s name and that she thrives to be a blessing to her new family. God bless you for the work you are doing.