I am currently updating the animal donation program. Here is a description of the program. I have yet to set the exact prices because I have to clear a few things with Pastor Pierre. Any input you may have would be well appreciated!
Thanks!
The Haiti Animal Project is an initiative where American families to donate
goats and cows to Haitian families. These Haitian families don't have access to a formal credit so they cannot save or borrow money easily. Giving them a way to "save" money and make large purchases. These donations will enable the Haitian families with a life line and
the ability to afford a year of school, a large medical expense, and major home
repair, or another large expense.
What does your money
cover?
The majority of the donated money goes to pay for the actual
cow or goat. The prices of each animal can fluctuate greatly, the minimum price
of a cow is about $250 and the minimum price of a goat is about $50. Unfortunately
there is no guarantee that this price will be the price the mission pays for the
goat. The price is the minimum price each animals is sold at, but depending on
the number of goats and cows at the market that day, the price can go over $60
and the price of each cow can go over $280. There is no set price for goats, so
every time the mission wants to purchase a goat or cow they have to bargain
with the seller. Sometimes we can get a good deal, but good deals are becoming
more rare, and the price we settle will more likely be closer to $60 or $70 for
each goat and $275 or $300 for each cow rather than the minimum. Haggling over
an animal is a very long and drawn out process, and there is no way to know the
exactly of how much each goat or cow will cost before we go to the market. If
we can get a good deal we will take it, but those deals aren’t guaranteed, and
have recently been more a rarity rather than a norm. Depending on the health of the goat or cow,
the price can go up. Since we are giving these goats away to families, we want
to ensure that each goat and cow we give away is healthy, so we would rather
pay more for a healthy goat or cow rather than pay less for a sickly animal. We
also do everything we can to purchase a female animal. Having a female gives
the families a continual supply of animals, affording them more opportunities
both in the future, but at times the females can be more expensive.
Purchasing a goat or cow involves other expenses beyond the
cost of the animal. The additional money that is not spent on the animals
covers the people’s time purchasing the animals and the transportation of the
animal back to the mission. We have to take a special truck to the market, the
large Mitsubishi diesel truck (better known as the bird cage) to carry all of
the animals from the market back to the mission. Purchasing anything at the
market is a timely ordeal. We have to go to the market around 5:00 AM and we
don’t return until about 12:00 PM. Most of this time is spent haggling over the
price of each animal. We have to take three or four employees from the mission
every time we go in order to properly wrangle each animal up onto and off of
the truck.
Given the large expense involved in getting each animal from
the market to the mission, the many people involved in the transaction, and the
fluctuation of the price, each goat costs ___ and each cow costs ___. Any
additional money collected from the purchase of goats and cows will go to
purchase more cows and goats.
How are the families
selected?
The families are generally found through the child
sponsorship rolls. The families who’s children are sponsored are families that
are in need but have demonstrated a desire to improve their current situation
and show a commitment to their and their children’s future well being. They are
involved in the La Croix community and are working to give their children a
better life than they themselves had. Despite their efforts they are many times
still unable to make ends meet. The goat or will give them not only a small
potential income stream but will provide a safety net in the event of a future
unpredictable disaster.
Why do we give baby animals?
There are three reasons we give juvenile animals as opposed
to adult animals. The first is that baby animals are cheaper. The second reason
is that giving a baby animal requires the family commit to raising the animal.
Development projects that do not require a family’s commitment to the project
are not as successful as those that do. If we give an adult animal, then the family
might sell it the next week for the full price. Though we select families that
will most likely not do this, we want to give them as much incentive as
possible to raise the goat and sell in the future when a disaster strikes or
necessity demands it. The third reason is that, in the event that this program
expands, we don’t want an influx of goats or cows to burden the market in
L’estere. If we give away 100 juvenile goats or cows, they will be sold at
different times with in the next two plus years. If we give away 100 adult
goats or cows, there is a chance that all of them could be sold at the next
market day, depressing the value of the animals and hurting others in the
market. Giving juvenile animals ensures this will not happen.
Does the family
commit anything to this process?
The family does not need to provide the mission with any
monetary reimbursement for the animal. However, in order to ensure that the
family commitment to caring for the goat or cow, we ask that they give the
mission one of the animal’s offspring within a year of receiving the animal.
This encourages the family to treat the animal as an asset to be used in a time
of need rather a temporary hand out. This will also continue the program. Every
baby animal the mission receives it will give to another family in need.
Why are we not
donating pigs or chickens?
We used to donate pigs, but right now there is a disease
going around that is killing off all of the pigs. The last thing we want is to
give away a pig that dies three days later.
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