When capital grants are introduced into a Tanzanian village economy, it ignites cooperative projects that facilitate change. In this case, the capital grant is one dairy cow. When dairy cow cooperatives are formed they serve as a vehicle to an entire village’s financial and social transformation. Dairy cow cooperatives set into motion a co-op member’s ability to generate a self-sustaining family economy. This intimate impact extends and gives rise to communal stabilization through cooperative repayment, which reinvests back into the program expanding cooperative growth. Ultimately, benefiting the whole community.

WHAT ONE DAIRY COW CAN DO

One dairy cow provides crucial aid in reducing poverty, illiteracy, disease, and lack of basic fundamentals. The benefits of what one dairy cow do are limitless, and once a co-op member is selected and becomes a participant their lives are permanently transformed. A dairy cow cooperative economic stream allows a member to:

• Participate in an active economy
• Provide more stable housing with beds and blankets
• Go from one meal a day to having enough food to share with another child
• Take in a most vulnerable child (MVC) from the extra revenue
• Gain skill development and training

 

LONG -TERM IMPACT

The impact of Africa Bridge programs are long-term. Through heavy monitoring and evaluation of cooperative programs, the stats tell a results story. Africa Bridge cooperative programs have:

• Established 42 successful cooperatives that are generating family and village economies
• Helped 6,000 Most Vulnerable Children (MVC) embark on new futures- no longer fighting    poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and disease alone
• Increased Well-Being Indicators of Families Participating in Co-ops
  
  Well-Being Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family Not in Co-op . . Family In Co-op 4+ Years
  Families eating meals 3X per day in dry season . . . . . 11% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96%
  Families eating meat, fish, or poultry 3X per week . . . .31% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79%
  Children having a mattress or bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87%
  Households having 3 hrs per week of lamp light . . . . . .57% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92%
  Households owning a radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60%
  
  
• Designed a cooperative model that works! After Africa Bridge’s initial capital investment in a cooperative program, member loan repayment and reinvestment sustains substantial cooperative growth. The expansion is evident as self-funded cooperatives in the Masoko ward have increased membership from 150 members in 2008, to nearly 350 members by 2012’s end.

 

With your generous help, Africa Bridge can meet our goal of 100 cows and provide training in 8 to 10 cooperatives. Together, we will positively impact hundreds of children and families.

TRANSFORM A LIFE, TRANSFORM A COMMUNITY

Mama Shale participated in the dairy cow cooperative program. In doing so, she too had great success and drastically improved her own conditions. Mama Shale then reached back out into the community and took in four more of Tanzania’s Most Vulnerable Children that were orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Her participation in the dairy cow cooperative gave her the ability to generate enough income to take in additional children and provide without threatening her own family’s existence.

As a supporter of Africa Bridge's Mission in Tanzania, you’re not just making things better, you’re changing lives forever! Please get involved and donate today to the One Dairy Cow Campaign and transform a life. Thank you!