1. The parties

This agreement is made between Ubuntu Goats and the following five founding women:

The wider community and the local project liaison are not parties to this agreement. The liaison works under a separate agreement and does not sign on behalf of the women.

For the approvals and reports required by this agreement, Ubuntu Goats may, after the first six months, appoint another independent oversight body, including a foster group, to carry out its continuing oversight role. The women and the project liaison must be informed of that appointment. Until then, references to Ubuntu Goats mean Ubuntu Goats itself.

2. Purpose

Ubuntu Goats helps the five women begin with five young female goats: one goat for each woman. The purpose is to help the women strengthen their families, build their own herds and create a shared system that can protect the project and later help other women begin.

The women agree to care for their goats, support one another, report honestly, take part in the quarterly review and follow the different rules that protect the Care and Reward Fund and the Community Growth Fund. The two Funds must always remain separate in purpose, records and decision-making.

3. What Ubuntu Goats provides

Ubuntu Goats provides or arranges:

• one young female goat for each founding woman;
• the agreed individual care items;
• the agreed shared care equipment;
• the agreed fixed contribution towards the communal goat shelter;
• the initial selection, transport, deworming and vaccination of the five goats, as agreed;
• access to the Ubuntu Goat Library and practical guidance where reasonably available;
• five conditional preparatory contributions of GMD 1,000, recorded as earned when the five roadmap milestones are accepted;
• the conditional one-time contribution of GMD 10,000 to the Care and Reward Fund after a successful six-month review;
• conditional quarterly contributions to the Care and Reward Fund after the first six months, in the amount and under the conditions recorded in Schedule 2.

The support already provided or still due at signing is described and recorded in the separate Start-up support and completion record, which forms part of the practical implementation of this agreement.

The goats and agreed support are not loans. Receiving them does not make any woman an employee or representative of Ubuntu Goats.

4. Ownership of each woman’s female herd

When a goat is delivered and transferred to a woman, she becomes its owner. The following belong to her:

• her original female goat;
• all female kids born into her herd;
• all later female descendants from that family line;
• the milk and other lawful products of her herd;
• income earned from the milk or other lawful products of her herd.

No other woman, family member, community leader, liaison or representative of Ubuntu Goats becomes an owner of her female goats through this project.

The goat allocated to each woman is identified in Schedule 1 – The five founding women and their goats.

5. Caring for the goats

Each woman accepts responsibility for her original goat and for every goat in her growing herd. As far as reasonably possible, she will:

• provide sufficient suitable food and clean water;
• provide safe, dry and well-ventilated shelter;
• protect the goats from avoidable danger, theft and cruelty;
• observe the goats and seek suitable help when one is sick or injured;
• provide appropriate care during pregnancy, birth and the care of young kids;
• keep the goats and their surroundings reasonably clean;
• avoid unnecessary suffering and treat the animals with care.

The five women will help one another when one of them is ill, absent or facing a serious difficulty. This support does not transfer ownership of her goats.

6. Female goats must protect the woman’s future

A woman should not sell, exchange, give away or use her original goat or a female descendant for a short-term personal benefit.

If serious circumstances make a sale or transfer necessary, she must first discuss the situation openly with the other four women. The women make a proposal, the project liaison examines the circumstances and records a recommendation, and Ubuntu Goats gives the final approval before the sale or transfer takes place. They consider the woman’s circumstances, the welfare of the goat, the future of her herd and the purpose of the project.

Nothing in this section allows the group to take ownership of a woman’s goat without her agreement. It creates a duty to discuss a serious decision openly and protect the long-term purpose of her herd.

7. Births, registration and the status of the kids

When a goat gives birth, the woman promptly reports the date, number and sex of the kids and the condition of the mother and newborns. She makes the animals available for checking, deworming, vaccination, tagging and registration and reports illness, death or other problems honestly.

A female kid

• is registered in the Community Goat Register in the name of the woman who owns the mother;
• receives the agreed first health care and Ubuntu Goats identification;
• belongs to the woman and enlarges her personal female herd;
• has its agreed initial care and identification costs charged to the Care and Reward Fund.

A male kid

• is linked in the Register to its mother and to the woman caring for it;
• is registered as an Ubuntu Community animal and not as the woman’s freely saleable personal property;
• remains under her responsible care until the approved sale;
• has its agreed identification, health, sale and transport costs charged to the Community Growth Fund;
• has its full net sale proceeds paid into the Community Growth Fund.

Necessary animal care must not be withheld merely because a report was late. The failure is recorded and considered during the review process instead of punishing the animal.

8. Two separate Funds

The Ubuntu Community uses two separate Funds with different purposes and decision-making rules:

1. The Care and Reward Fund supports the existing female herd and agreed shared care needs. Its income consists of earned start-up contributions, the successful six-month contribution, conditional quarterly contributions and any later contribution expressly restricted to this purpose.
2. The Community Growth Fund finances the complete route from caring for and selling male kids to starting an approved new woman. Its income consists of the full net proceeds of male-kid sales and any later contribution expressly restricted to growth.

The money, transactions, balances and records of the two Funds must never be mixed. Money may not be transferred from one Fund to the other unless this agreement or a later written amendment expressly permits it.

9. The Care and Reward Fund

After a successful six-month review, the Fund is intended to open with GMD 15,000: GMD 5,000 earned through the five preparatory milestones and one conditional group contribution of GMD 10,000. These are group contributions, not five personal payments.

The Care and Reward Fund may be used only for recorded and permitted purposes, including:

• registration, tags, deworming, vaccination and agreed first care for female kids;
• necessary animal-health care for the existing female herd;
• agreed task-based liaison work connected with that care and registration;
• essential repair of the communal shelter;
• essential replacement or repair of shared goat-care equipment;
• exceptional feed support during a serious and documented shortage;
• another goat-related care expense expressly permitted by the Operating Rules or approved in writing.

It may not be used for personal food, clothing, school costs, household bills, human medical costs, personal travel, loans, gifts, ceremonies, phones or unrelated community expenses. It may not pay costs belonging to the sale of male kids or the complete start of a new participant.

Decisions by the women

1. A woman proposes an expenditure.
2. The five women discuss it and first consider known future animal-care obligations.
3. At least three of the five women approve it. A woman with a direct personal or family conflict must disclose it and may not improperly influence the decision.
4. The project liaison checks that the purpose is permitted, sufficient money is available and the decision is recorded.
5. Where practical, payment is made directly to the provider or supplier and at least two women confirm receipt.

The liaison checks compliance with the rules; he does not replace a permitted majority decision with his personal preference. A new or exceptional type of expense requires prior approval from Ubuntu Goats or its appointed oversight body.

10. The Community Growth Fund and male-kid sales

The Growth Fund pays the whole expansion cycle and nothing else.

1. The woman reports and cares for the male kid and may not privately sell or promise it to a buyer.
2. The liaison checks its registration, tag, age, health, likely market price, proposed buyer or market, transport and direct costs.
3. The approved sale is organised transparently and the buyer, gross price and direct costs are recorded.
4. The full net proceeds are entered in the Community Growth Fund.
5. When the complete cost can be paid and an eligible new woman has been approved, the Fund pays the new goat, selection and purchase costs, transport, first health care, registration, tag, the agreed individual care package of GMD 2,000 and necessary task-based liaison work.

The woman whose goat produced the male kid does not personally receive the sale proceeds. The five women do not decide when Growth Fund money is released. The purchase procedure begins only when the complete start is affordable and Ubuntu Goats or its appointed oversight body gives final approval.

The sale of one male kid does not have to pay for one complete new start. Proceeds may accumulate over several sales.

11. Safeguarding and recording both Funds

The women receive clear information about all income, expenditure and balances, but they are not required to keep a formal cashbook. The approved local arrangements are recorded in Schedule 2.

• The project liaison safeguards or administers the Funds in the approved manner and keeps them separate from each other and from personal money.
• Every transaction is entered in the correct local and central Fund record.
• Payments are made directly to a seller or service provider wherever reasonably possible.
• The liaison may not borrow from a Fund, use it privately, move money between Funds without authority, approve his own fee or decide and approve the same payment alone.
• Ubuntu Goats or its appointed oversight body may temporarily stop a payment when its purpose, price, record or available balance cannot be satisfactorily explained.

Neither Fund belongs personally to any woman, the woman whose goat produced a male kid, the liaison, a community leader or Ubuntu Goats. Each Fund must be used only for its stated shared purpose.

If urgent action is essential to prevent animal suffering, the approved emergency arrangement in Schedule 2 may be used. The action, reason, amount and correct Fund must be reported and recorded without delay.

12. Quarterly meeting, review and conditional contribution

After the first six months, the five women meet every three months and complete the Ubuntu Goats Quarterly Responsibilities and Follow-up Checklist. They provide honest answers and reasonable available evidence concerning cooperation, animal care, shelter, health, treatment, deworming, vaccination, births, tags, records, male-kid sales, selection, equipment, communication and both Funds.

The review assesses responsible action and honest reporting, not whether life was problem-free. A sick or dead goat does not by itself prevent a contribution if the problem was reported and reasonably addressed.

If all applicable conditions have been met, the group contribution recorded in Schedule 2 is paid directly into the Care and Reward Fund. It is never divided among the women.

A correctable shortcoming first causes the contribution to be held. The women receive a clear correction period appropriate to the problem, normally from 48 hours for immediate animal danger up to 30 days for a larger practical correction. If it is corrected and verified in time, the contribution may still be paid.

A contribution may be refused without a normal correction period for deliberate concealment, falsification, personal taking of Fund money, an unauthorised sale, deliberate removal of a tag, serious neglect or refusal of reasonable verification. The facts must first be examined fairly and the women concerned must have an opportunity to explain.

A contribution definitively lost for one quarter is not accumulated or reclaimed later. The next quarter provides a new opportunity to comply and earn the next contribution.

13. Choosing a later participant

When the Community Growth Fund can afford the complete new beginning, Ubuntu Goats or its appointed oversight body invites the women to complete or confirm the selection of a later participant. The women select the candidate; they do not control the timing or release of Growth Fund money.

The candidate must live in the community, genuinely want a goat and be in a vulnerable economic position. She must be able to organise safe care, food and water, with reliable help when needed; be caring, trustworthy and willing to cooperate with the group; and understand and accept the female-goat ownership, male-goat sale, registration and Fund rules.

A family member may be considered, but family connection never gives priority and must be declared. A woman with a personal or family interest in a candidate may not vote on or influence that choice.

The women discuss eligible candidates fairly and vote. A candidate normally requires the support of at least three women. If the women cannot agree after two genuine discussions held on different days, the project liaison chooses the eligible candidate who best meets the agreed criteria and records the reasons. A liaison with a conflict of interest must refer the matter to Ubuntu Goats.

The project liaison verifies the selection, the candidate’s eligibility, affordability of the complete start and absence of improper influence. Ubuntu Goats or its appointed oversight body gives the final approval before Growth Fund money is released. The choice is recorded in the New Participant Selection and Admission Record contained in the Operating Rules.

Before receiving anything, the approved woman must receive a clear explanation in a language she understands and sign or place a thumbprint on an accession agreement.

A later participant receives a healthy young female goat, approved transport and initial animal-health care, and the same agreed individual care items received by each founding woman. She does not automatically receive personal cash, a new shelter, duplicate shared equipment, another founding contribution or any other part of the complete founding investment.

14. Records and simple updates

The women promptly tell the project liaison what has happened. The liaison verifies the information where reasonably possible, completes the applicable records contained in the Ubuntu Community Operating Rules and enters the information online or sends it to Ubuntu Goats. The records include:

• the goats belonging to each woman;
• pregnancies, births, deaths, losses and important illness;
• male-goat sales and their direct costs;
• all money entering and leaving each Fund, recorded separately;
• the separate balance of each Fund and known future Care and Reward Fund obligations;
• female goats purchased and the women receiving them;
• important decisions about the shelter and shared equipment.

The women are not expected to complete difficult forms. They must provide honest information and confirm records that concern them. The purpose is to learn, maintain trust and protect the shared project.

15. Illness, death, theft or disappearance

A goat may become ill, die, be stolen or disappear even when it has been properly cared for. The woman is not automatically blamed and does not automatically owe the value of the goat. She informs the group as soon as reasonably possible, and the event is recorded.

The women consider what happened, whether treatment or other action remains possible and what can be learned. If there are reasonable signs of deliberate neglect, an unrecorded sale or personal misuse, the matter is discussed openly and fairly.

Ubuntu Goats does not itself bear responsibility for replacing a goat. The women may propose whether and how replacement should occur. The project liaison investigates and records the circumstances. Any use of the Care and Reward Fund must fall within section 9; the Community Growth Fund may not be used for replacement unless a written amendment expressly permits it.

16. Shelter and shared equipment

The communal shelter and shared equipment remain available for the care of the goats belonging to all five women. They may not be divided, sold, pledged, taken for private use or used for an unrelated purpose.

The women are jointly responsible for reasonable care, cleaning, maintenance and agreed access. Later participating women may receive access under fair arrangements agreed by the group, provided this does not prevent the founding women from caring for their goats. Any payment for permitted repair or replacement comes from the Care and Reward Fund under section 9 and is recorded in the applicable Operating Rules record.

17. The liaison and the wider community

The project liaison is the local link between the community, the women and Ubuntu Goats. Under a separate agreement, the liaison checks important facts, applies and controls identification tags, keeps the goat and two Fund records, organises approved health care, sales and payments, verifies quarterly checklist information, follows animal welfare and reports progress honestly, including when his conclusion is negative.

The liaison does not own the women’s goats, shelter, equipment or either Fund. The liaison cannot approve his own payment. For the Care and Reward Fund, he verifies that a majority decision is permitted, affordable and recorded. For the Community Growth Fund, he cannot give final approval to the release of money. Where the Operating Rules expressly provide it, the liaison may decide between eligible candidates after the women have made two genuine attempts to agree, subject to Ubuntu Goats’ conflict check and final financial approval.

During the first six months, the liaison reports to Ubuntu Goats. Thereafter, the liaison reports to Ubuntu Goats or to the independent oversight body formally appointed under section 1.

The wider community does not sign this agreement. It may support the women, help resolve problems and take part in consultations, but it does not thereby acquire ownership or control over the women’s female goats, their milk, their personal income or either Fund.

18. Photographs and personal stories

Each woman decides separately whether Ubuntu Goats may use her first name, photograph, video or personal story. Receiving a goat does not require her to give up her privacy.

A woman may later withdraw permission for new use. Ubuntu Goats will make reasonable efforts to respect her request, although material already lawfully published or distributed may not always be completely removable.

19. What Ubuntu Goats does not guarantee

Ubuntu Goats does not manage the women’s daily care of their goats or herds. Its approval or oversight of either Fund does not make Ubuntu Goats the owner of that money or responsible for every local event. Ubuntu Goats cannot guarantee that every goat remains healthy, becomes pregnant or produces milk or kids; that every herd grows at the same rate; that a particular income is earned; or that a lost goat is replaced.

After the agreed start-up support has been provided, Ubuntu Goats does not undertake to continue paying unrelated or unearned costs, phones, internet access or an automatic salary for the project liaison. Conditional quarterly contributions remain dependent on the applicable review and Schedule 2. Any later liaison work or outside support must be task-based and separately approved under the applicable arrangements. The women, the two Funds and the later oversight arrangements are intended to take increasing responsibility for necessary future costs.

20. Problems, serious misuse and ending participation

The women first try to resolve problems through calm and open discussion. They may ask for help from a trusted community member, the project liaison or Ubuntu Goats. The liaison verifies and records the facts, may temporarily stop an unauthorised sale or payment when necessary to protect the goats or either Fund, and reports the matter to Ubuntu Goats. Final measures are decided by Ubuntu Goats or its appointed oversight body after the woman or women concerned have had a fair opportunity to explain.

Serious misuse includes deliberate cruelty or neglect, secretly selling a goat, taking money from either Fund for private use, moving money between the Funds without authority, falsifying important records or repeatedly preventing the group from protecting the goats or Funds.

A response must be fair and proportionate. The woman must be told the concern and given a real opportunity to explain. No woman loses ownership of her female goats merely because the group is dissatisfied with her or wishes to punish her.

If a woman can no longer participate, the women propose practical arrangements that protect her ownership, the welfare of her goats and the integrity of both Funds. The project liaison records and assesses the proposal. Any exceptional Fund use or unresolved serious matter is referred to Ubuntu Goats or its appointed oversight body for a decision.

21. Understanding and free agreement

By signing or placing a thumbprint below, each woman confirms that:

• this agreement and its schedules were explained in a language she understands;
• she had an opportunity to ask questions and received understandable answers;
• she understands what belongs to her and what belongs to the group;
• she accepts responsibility for caring for her herd;
• she accepts that each male kid is a registered community animal, will be sold through the approved procedure and that the full net proceeds belong to the Community Growth Fund;
• she accepts that the Care and Reward Fund and Community Growth Fund have different purposes, records and decision-making rules;
• she understands that the women make majority decisions about permitted Care and Reward Fund expenses, subject to the liaison’s rules and balance check;
• she understands that the women select a later participant but do not decide when Community Growth Fund money is released;
• she agrees to attend and answer the quarterly review honestly and understands that a conditional quarterly contribution may be paid, held or refused under section 12;
• she understands that later women receive an approved goat and individual care package, but do not automatically receive the complete founding investment;
• she received or was given access to the Ubuntu Community Operating Rules and understands that they explain what to do in specific situations;
• she joins freely and has not been required to pay or provide a personal favour.

22. Signatures of the five women

23. Confirmation by Ubuntu Goats

24. Language and explanation

Language used: ☐ English   ☐ Mandinka   ☐ Wolof   ☐ Pulaar/Fulani   ☐ Soninke   ☐ Jola   ☐ Other: ____________________

Integral and related documents: Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 are included below. The separate Start-up support and completion record and the attached Ubuntu Community Operating Rules – What to do when… form part of the practical implementation of this agreement. The Quarterly Responsibilities and Follow-up Checklist is the required review instrument under section 12. The roadmap is an explanatory preparation document and does not itself form part of the signed agreement unless expressly added in writing.