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Starting a community · Step 3

The practical environment

Is the right local support available?

Healthy goats and a growing community need reliable access to food, water, a market, animal care, honest records and safe money management.

The goats need more than a shelter

Thank you for completing the questions about the shared shelter. We would now like to understand the practical environment around the goats.

The project can only succeed when the women have enough food and water for the goats, can reach a suitable market and know where to find help when an animal becomes ill.

Good local organisation is equally important. Births, treatments, sales, purchases and money movements must be recorded. Community money should be kept safely and used openly.

What we need to understand

  1. Food throughout the year We need to know how goats are normally fed locally, whether they roam freely and whether additional feed is needed during the dry season or at other times.
  2. Enough clean water The women must have reliable access to enough water for the goats throughout the year, including during the dry season.
  3. Access to a market Male kids will later be sold and new young female goats purchased. The group must therefore be able to reach a trustworthy market and transport animals safely.
  4. Access to basic goat-care supplies The women must also be able to obtain the basic tools, containers, health materials, mineral supplements and additional feed needed to care for the goats properly.
  5. Animal health support The women need someone nearby who can recognise problems and arrange treatment. Deworming and vaccination may be carried out by a trained and experienced person; this does not always need to be a veterinarian.
  6. Suitable local help providers The women may need reliable local people who can help when needed with animal care, registration, buying and selling or other practical tasks. Different people may provide different kinds of help.
  7. Reliable registration The community must be able to record births, deaths, treatments, sales, purchases and all money entering or leaving the Ubuntu Community Fund.
  8. Safe and transparent money management Money should be kept outside the village whenever possible. Withdrawals should only be made for a specific expense, by two women together, and supported by a receipt, photograph or other evidence.
  9. Support from families and the community The women must be able to participate without family members, leaders or other people taking control of the goats, the shelter or the community fund.
There are no perfect communities. Honest answers about difficulties help us decide whether a workable solution can be found.

Tell us about the local situation

Please answer as concretely and honestly as possible. A difficulty does not automatically prevent the project from continuing. It helps us understand what support or solution may be needed.

Please complete all required questions before sending your answers.

1. How are goats in your community normally kept and fed? * Do they roam freely and eat what they find, are they taken somewhere to graze, or are they kept near the home and given food?
2. Is enough suitable food available throughout the year? * Tell us what the goats can eat, what changes during the dry season and whether extra feed must sometimes be bought. If so, where and at what approximate cost?
3. Is enough water available for the goats throughout the year? * Where does the water come from, how far away is it, who would collect it and is it also available during the dry season?
4. Which market could be used to sell and buy goats? * Give the name or location of the market, the distance, the usual market days and how goats could be transported there. Tell us whether anyone in the group already has experience buying or selling animals there.
5. Is there a local market, shop or supplier where the basic supplies for caring for the goats can be bought? * Please tell us where these supplies could be bought, how far away the market or shop is, which items are available there and which items may be difficult to find. If possible, also give an approximate price for the items you know. Think about hoof-trimming tools, a tape for estimating a goat’s weight, a container with a lid for storing feed, a digital thermometer, small scissors, disposable gloves, sterile gauze and bandages, disinfectant, a lockable storage box, a strong water container, a separate feeding bowl, mineral and salt licks, a collar and strong rope, and an initial supply of supplementary feed.
6. Who could help when a goat becomes ill? * This may be a veterinarian, livestock worker or another experienced person. Tell us who the person is, where they are based, how they can be contacted and how quickly they could normally reach the community.
7. Is there someone nearby who can deworm and vaccinate goats correctly? * The person does not need to be a veterinarian, but must have the necessary knowledge and experience. Tell us who can do this and where the medicines and vaccines can be obtained.
8. Which local help providers could support the women? * Give the name, telephone or WhatsApp number and home area of each person. Explain what practical help each person could provide and why the women and the community trust them. This may include animal care, registration, buying and selling or other practical support.
9. Who could keep the project records? * The records include births, deaths, treatments, vaccinations, sales, purchases and all money entering or leaving the Ubuntu Community Fund. Tell us who could do this and what experience they have.
10. Is there a QMoney agent or another safe place nearby where community money can be received, kept and withdrawn? * Tell us which service is available, where the nearest agent or cash-out point is, how far away it is, whether it is reliable and what withdrawal costs are normally charged.
11. Are the five women willing to manage community money openly and together? *
Money should remain outside the village whenever possible. Two women should make a withdrawal together, only for an agreed expense, and every expense should be supported by a receipt, photograph or other evidence. Tell us what the women have discussed about this.
12. Could anyone in the families or wider community oppose the project or try to control it? Think about possible objections to the women’s participation, the goats, the shared shelter, the land or the community fund. Please explain any concern, even if you believe it can be solved.
13. Is there any other practical difficulty that Ubuntu Goats should know about?

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.