Children of the Sahara Foundation

Micro-financing is a way of helping poor farmers or small business owners by providing small loans to help them kick- start their businesses or make investments in the future.
 
But how do you provide start up capital to poor populations, such as nomadic groups, who do not deal with money? For the nomads in Morocco their herds of goats or camels are their capital and livelihoods. Sahara Children is undertaking a new initiative: providing animals to nomad families who have lost their herds due to various kinds of hardship.
 
In January 2010 one especially needy family in the Lake Iriki area in Southeastern Morocco will receive five goats (one male and four females to guarantee reproduction) as a loan from Sahara Children. The goats will be an important nutritional source, especially for the children, and will produce milk, cheese and eventually meat as the herd grows larger.
 
When the herd has grown and can be sustained by the offspring, the five animals will be returned to Sahara Children without interest and will be passed on to another needy family.

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If you would like to contribute to this initiative, your small donation will go a long way.

Photo by Liz Williams