Goat Rearing Project
Harnessing Potential, One Goat at a Time
At Youths for Today and Tomorrow (YTT), we believe that even the smallest seed of opportunity can grow into a brighter future. Our Goat Rearing Project, launched in Tsholotsho and Matobo, is empowering young people with practical livestock skills that not only improve household incomes but also strengthen community resilience.
The Challenge
In many rural and peri-urban communities of Zimbabwe, young people face:
- Unemployment and Poverty: With limited job opportunities, most youth lack steady income sources.
- Food Insecurity: Families struggle to meet their nutritional needs due to recurrent droughts and economic challenges.
- Lack of Livestock Skills: Youth often lack access to training in sustainable livestock rearing, leaving them without productive ways to harness local resources.
Our Intervention
The Goat Rearing Project was designed to directly address these barriers by:
- Training Youth in Boer Goat Rearing: Participants learn modern animal husbandry techniques, breeding, and fodder production.
- Basic Animal Care (Para-Vet Training): Selected youth receive para-veterinary skills to monitor goat health and assist their peers.
- Start-Up Support: In 2021, YTT distributed 50 goats to youth in Tsholotsho, kick-starting small-scale livestock businesses.
- Community Multiplier Effect: As goats reproduce, beneficiaries pass on offspring to other community members, creating a ripple effect of empowerment.
The Impact
This project has brought visible change:
- Income Generation: Youth and families now earn money from goat sales, improving household stability.
- Food Security: Goat products such as milk and meat contribute to improved nutrition.
- Youth Empowerment: Young people feel pride in managing livestock projects that sustain both their families and communities.
- Sustainability: Offspring from the first distributed goats are already multiplying, ensuring continuity.
A shining example is a remarkable male goat from the Tsholotsho project — now a proud father of two. He represents not just reproduction but hope, resilience, and a community-driven future.
Looking Ahead
YTT plans to expand this initiative into more wards, training additional para-vets and scaling up goat distribution to reach more youth. With ongoing support, we envision communities where young people are the drivers of food security and economic independence.
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