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GIFT A GOAT & MORE!

We're heading back to the classrooms to give the gift of goats to students and more!

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GIFT A GOAT & MORE!

GIFT A GOAT & MORE!

GIFT A GOAT & MORE!

GIFT A GOAT & MORE!

GIFT A GOAT & MORE!

We're heading back to the classrooms to give the gift of goats to students and more!

We're heading back to the classrooms to give the gift of goats to students and more!

We're heading back to the classrooms to give the gift of goats to students and more!

We're heading back to the classrooms to give the gift of goats to students and more!

Caitlin Terry
Caitlin Terry
Caitlin Terry
Caitlin Terry
4 Campaigns |
Vineland, United States
$20,000 USD 52 backers
100% of $20,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 4 Projects Mountain Filled 4 Projects

My name is Caitlin, and I’m a licensed engineer who has worked in remote communities internationally since 2009. 

 

I provide water engineering solutions to help people gain access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation by serving as a missionary with Hydromissions International

 

In response to recurring requests from communities, I invited my sister, an animal science major and equine vet tech, to travel to Haiti with me and assist in developing a livestock program. We brought our first herd of goats to students in Marbial, Haiti in 2014. Goats provide an ongoing and perpetual sustenance, because owners can milk the goats, breed the goats and sell the offspring to earn much-needed income.

 

Our goal is very simple:

(1) provide safe drinking water and sanitation to live, and (2) provide goats to self-sustain and prosper.

 

Your support will help us provide goats and livestock training to students in Marbial, Haiti; provide clean water and latrines in San Antonio, Guatemala; and provide latrines in La Cumbre, El Salvador!

 

To learn more about the goat portion of our “village sustenance” project, please watch the video below to see the first installment of goats in Marbial, Haiti:

 
Hydromissions Who?
 
Hydromissions International is a faith-based registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are a small grass-roots team of volunteers dedicated to providing for the physical and spiritual needs of impoverished communities worldwide.
 
Why a Goat?

 

A goat can provide so much for each family, starting with nutrition from their milk, which can be directly consumed or made into cheese and other dairy products. Soaps and lotions can also be produced from the goat's milk and sold in the market. The goat can also produce income from successfully breeding and selling the offspring, a single goat can produce 2-3 kids (baby goats) per year. The families can also utilize the natural fertilizer that the goat produces for their gardens, which provides most of their food.

 

 

Our Vision

 

Our vision is to see that a female goat is given to each child in the upper grades in Marbial.  While 8th grade is the highest level of education currently available to them, there is the risk that, as each child gets older, they will stop attending school so that they can help their families. 

Our goats are purchased locally in the markets close to Marbial (still a couple hours hike from the market to the school). We bring supplies for training and equipping the students to keep their goats as healthy as possible. 

 

 

 

Training

 

Our goal is to equip these older students with training in basic animal maintenance and husbandry so that they can keep their goat healthy and producing so that income can be earned to support the family. 

This project is about making a long-term difference in the lives of these students and families.

We spent much time developing a 3-day curriculum and lecture-series for the students, families and other villagers from neighboring mountains, who are taught for those 3 days on proper care of their goats, breeding, medical care and milking.  This curriculum and hands-on training is provided by animal-science graduates and a small team of livestock volunteers.  The students have been incredibly responsive to the training, demonstrating a full-scale commitment to the raising and production of goats.

 

Our Partner in Haiti

 

Thanks to the hard work of Marliane & Daniel Alix and the local teachers, there is now a school that provides education to the children of Marbial.  It is no easy task.  For example, some children must walk 2 hours (one-way) to make it to that single school in the rural mountains.  These students are actually very privileged because they can attend up to 8th grade, which already puts them above the average education level for that region of Haiti.  Marliane started that small school 8 years ago with a handful of kindergarteners and now it educates 400 students going up to the 8th grade. Marliane is our in-country partner and will be arranging the logistics of the training seminar and getting the goats to Marbial. 

 

 

Education Statistics

 

In Haiti, Secondary School is for children ages 12-18 years old.  According to UNICEF, only 29.1% of females and 21.6% of males attend Secondary School. The cost of pursuing education is usually too high for students to even consider.  UNIFEF reports that estimated annual school costs average US$131 per child (including uniform, books/materials and transportation). 

 

 

Sisters & Friends Team Up!

 

My sister, Helene, and I traveled to Marbial, Haiti in March 2014 to build a latrine for the mountain school and evaluate the livestock in the village.  By December 2014, we were bringing our first herd to the community with a small team of trained livestock volunteers. Helene's education and experience is in animal science and mine is in civil engineering. Now, with the help of friends, we are heading into our 2nd year of collaboration as we bring a third herd and livestock training into Marbial. You can learn more about our past projects by checking out www.howmanycows.com!

 

...& MORE!

 

We are fundraising for goats primarily, but any additional funds will be used to continue water and sanitation projects in Guatemala & El Salvador. I work with Hydromissions to provide water, sanitation and hygiene education in remote villages. 

According to the World Health Organization

  • 748 million people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water. 
  • 2.5 billion people utilize inadequate sanitation facilities with 1 billion people practicing open defecation due to the absence of facilities.
  • More than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. Nearly all deaths, 99 percent, occur in the developing world.

UNICEF reports that diarrheal diseases account for nearly 1.3 million deaths a year among children under-five years of age.

That is over 3,500 children per day!

Children in the photo below are traveling back from the market near Marbial, Haiti. 

 

 

In 2009, I spent 2 months working with the community of San Antonio, Guatemala to construct a small water tower and build two composting latrines. After working in 9 different countries over the years, I returned to San Antonio to evaluate the old project and plan future projects to keep up with the growing community. I would like to return in 2016 and build a larger water tower and help each family build their own latrine. The photos below show San Antonio in 2009 when we constructed the small elevated water tank and latrines.

 

Earlier this year, I spent 2 months working in a small village high in the mountains of El Salvador. Together with the community, we built a spring collection and water storage tanks. I plan to return to help each family build their own pit latrine. The photo below shows the water faucets that now supply the families with clean drinking water. 

 

 

Other Ways You Can Help

Share our link on your social media sites and via email to help spread the word and give goats to students! 

 

Thanks from the goat team! John, Caitlin, Dana, Helene & Chelsey :) 

 
Last, but not least!

 

Your contributions are tax deductible. Tax statements will come from Hydromissions International, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, as requested. 

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Choose your Perk

Photo of Students with Goats

$100 USD
$100 pays for one goat for one student. We will provide a digital photo of the students with the goats :)
Estimated Shipping
February 2016
12 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Coffee!

$150 USD
$150 will pay for a latrine (toilet) for one family in either El Salvador or Guatemala. 1lb locally-grown coffee from El Salvador or Guatemala (your choice!).
Estimated Shipping
April 2016
2 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Note from Student

$250 USD
A hand-written thank-you note from a student receiving a goat and a digital photo of the students and goats.
Estimated Shipping
April 2016
1 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Note from Family

$350 USD
A handwritten thank-you note from latrine recipients in Guatemala or El Salvador and a digital photo of a family receiving a latrine.
Estimated Shipping
April 2016
1 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Fine Art Photo

$500 USD
Choose a photo from my Etsy shop and it will be printed as an archival pigment-based Giclee 8x10 print. I have sold these photos over the years to support the projects and would love to sign and send you a personal photo of your choice from this site: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LUCENTphotography A thank-you note from a student receiving a goat or a family receiving a latrine will also be included.
Estimated Shipping
April 2016
2 claimed
Ships to United States of America
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