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Starting a community · Step 2

A safe place for the goats

Could you build a safe, shared shelter?

The five women and their goats need one secure shelter that they can use and care for together.

A safe, shared shelter

Thank you for completing the first step. We would now like to learn whether the five women could provide one safe shelter for their goats.

Every Ubuntu Goat Community needs a shelter that is shared by the first five women and their goats. The shelter gives the goats a safe place at night and protects them from rain, strong sun, theft and roaming animals.

It is especially important when a goat is sick, when a kid is born or when a mother needs a quiet and protected place with her newborn kids.

Why the shelter is shared

The five women do not work as five separate goat owners. They help one another and share responsibility when difficulties arise. A shared shelter makes that cooperation practical.

All five women must therefore understand and accept that the shelter is for the whole group. They will need to agree how it is used, cleaned, checked and maintained.

Building it together

Ubuntu Goats does not expect the women to pay for everything themselves. We do expect the women and their families to contribute as much as they reasonably can.

They may contribute labour, local materials, tools, building knowledge, transport or help from other people in the community. Ubuntu Goats can then consider what additional support is truly needed.

Nothing needs to be built or purchased yet. First, please read our shelter plan and discuss it with the other four women.

Shelter plan

We have prepared a practical plan for one simple, strong and dry shelter for the five goats, with room for young kids. Please read it together and discuss how this kind of shelter could be built in your community using suitable local materials and local help.

Building a Safe Goat Shelter OPEN THE SHELTER PLAN →

What we need to understand

  1. A suitable placeThere must be enough space in a location that all five women can reach and use.
  2. Permission to use the landThe shelter must be allowed to remain there for several years without one person or family later taking control of it.
  3. A safe locationThe place should offer protection from flooding, strong sun, theft and roaming animals and should have reasonable access to water.
  4. Local participationThe women, their families and other community members should be willing to help with the building as much as they reasonably can.
  5. Shared responsibilityAll five women must be willing to use, clean, check and maintain the shelter together.

Tell us about the shelter

Please discuss these questions with the other four women before answering. At this stage, nothing needs to be built or purchased. We first want to understand what is possible, what is already available and what support may be needed.

Please complete all required questions before sending your answers.

1. Have you and the other four women read and discussed the Ubuntu Goats shelter plan? *
If not all five women could read or discuss the shelter plan, please tell us why.
2. Is there a suitable place where the shared shelter could be built? *
Please describe the place, where it is and whether all five women can reach it easily.
3. Who owns or controls the land where the shelter could be built? *Tell us who owns the land, whether permission has been given, whether the shelter may remain there for several years and whether anything must be paid for using the land. If the land belongs to one family, tell us whether all five women can have continuing access to the shelter.
4. Why do you think this is a safe and suitable place for the goats? *Please think about high and firm ground, rainwater and flooding, strong sun, theft, roaming animals, ventilation, access to water and the distance from the women’s homes. The shelter should not stand directly beside a bedroom, kitchen or water well.
5. Are the five women, their families and other community members willing to contribute as much as they reasonably can to building the shelter? *
Who could help, and what labour, local materials, tools, transport or building knowledge could they contribute?
6. What building knowledge, local materials, tools and transport are already available? *Tell us about people with building experience and about suitable local or reusable materials, tools and transport that could help build the shelter shown in our plan.
7. What do you think it would cost locally to build the shelter, and what support would be needed from Ubuntu Goats? *Please give a simple local estimate if you can. Tell us what the community could contribute itself and what would still need to be paid for, such as materials, transport or skilled building work. Nothing needs to be purchased yet.
8. Do all five women understand and accept that the shelter will be shared? *
How would the women share responsibility for using, cleaning, checking and maintaining the shelter? A final schedule is not needed yet.
9. Is there anything that could make it difficult to build, use or maintain the shared shelter?This may include disagreement about the land, distance, building costs, family concerns, security, access to water or a lack of people who can help.

Short answers are welcome. You do not need to use formal English. If writing in English is difficult, you may answer in the language in which you feel most comfortable.