Goats for sustainability

Last week, the TCCA Principal, four alumni committee members and I visited Choma to meet with TCCA graduates doing ministry in the Southern Province of Zambia. Choma is a town about 700km south of Ndola. It was a time of fellowship, encouraging one another in the Lord and above all, reconnecting with fellow Christians. The next day, in the evenings as the fellowship was getting to a close, we prayed together and had Holy Communion. Then came the sad moments of saying goodbyes to one another. However, I decided to stay back and join Wamunyima, a grad doing ministry with the Brethren in Christ Church's Compassionate ministry. Forgotten Voices has been very much a part of this church's ministry; and it was an honour for me to visit some of their projects deep in the rural areas.

Apart from the usual school requisites for orphans and food supplement assistance most beneficiaries and care givers receive, the BICC is also involved in projects that would sustain the lives of recipients beyond FVI and other donor help. The goat project is one such exciting venture the church has been doing. Teachings on how to keep goats and sustain oneself from them are being undertaken prio to distribution. Most goats are distributed to villagers in remote parts of Choma rural.

I was more than excited to briefly be part of the goat distribution project. We distributed six goats to each family and they were eleven families in total. All the recipients are people living with the HIV virus and the project is meant to help sustain their lives as goats provide high quality milk, and when they multiply, they are easy to resale if necessary. The beneficiaries will have to redistribute the first six off springs to the next family. The trend continues until all the intended beneficiaries are helped. There was excitement and jubilations among recipients at a local thatched BICC church. The local pastor was happy too saying that members will be strong and health again.

This would not have been possible had it not been your choosing to demonstrate Christ's love to people you may have just heard stories about. You have indeed chosen to echo Jesus' words in the gospel of Matthew; "...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" Matt. 25: 40. Well, it's a fact, goats are now sustaining people's lives in these forgotten villages of Choma.

I am your fellow servant in God's ministry,

Remmy.