Hands at Work in Africa is committed to caring for our Care Workers, as well as our children. Care Workers are regularly visited in their homes and are invited to participate in Relationship Groups, which are a safe place for them to share about their lives, hear the word of God, and be prayed for. Relationship Groups also help our local teams be aware of any challenges that require support or follow-up.
Last year, goats were purchased for many of our Care Workers, as part of an initiative to help Care Workers provide for their families. In the communities where Hands at Work serves, a goat can be an important resource for a family; they are resilient and reproduce quickly, often having up to six kids annually. As Care Workers look after their goats and watch their goat family grow, they are essentially creating a ‘bank account’ of goats that they can sell and use the profits earned to purchase basic items for their families. The young goats also provide manure, enhancing future crops. Ideally, within a year, a family can opt for both strategies: sell goats to purchase basic supplies or cover school fees, and use manure to boost their maize and vegetable yields, enabling them to generate extra produce. Having a source of income builds self-empowerment in our families, as they are not reliant on someone else to meet their needs.
This is what is happening in the Phophonyane community in Eswatini, and is being replicated across many communities in Africa.
Mnelisi, a member of the local Hands at Work team in Phophonyane, Eswatini, shares, “The purpose of buying the goats was to encourage the Care Workers in the work that they are doing at the Care Point and support them in caring for their own families. The goats were chosen because they are easy to purchase from the market and sell if needed. When identifying the Care Workers who would benefit from the provision of a goat, we looked at a few factors. It was important that they regularly attend Relationship Groups, are willing to do Holy Home Visits and are committed to the daily activities at the Care Point.
This year, the Care Workers didn’t sell any goats because they only received them last year in November. The Care Workers are looking at potentially selling some of the goats in the first half of 2025 and using the income earned to pay school fees and other household things. Even though they’re not selling right now, having the goats gives them some security and a form of capital that if there is an emergency, they have something they can sell and liquidate. They didn’t have that same security previously. For now, the Care Workers' goal has been to grow and multiply the goats so that they can start providing for their families.”
“ “I have been a Care Worker for three years and I joined because I love children. When I heard the vision, I knew I wanted to be involved! My husband is hugely supportive and encourages me to go to the Care Point. Last year I was one of the Care Workers to receive a goat and I was very excited. It was a huge blessing to have a goat because it was one of my dreams to have one and be able to provide for my family. Recently, my goat gave birth to twins which is so exciting! My goal is that I keep breeding my goats so that there are many and then I can sell some of them to be able to pay the school fees for my children.” ”