Goats are ideal for the A Night for Uganda fundraiser because they are affordable and resilient to extreme weather, diseases and parasites.
What: A Night for Uganda fundraising event
Who: Evening of music and poetry with more than 20 artists
When: Saturday, February 12 from 6 to 9 pm
Venue: Virtual event via Zoom
A group of UBC Okanagan students are working together to help bring goats to children in Uganda.
Initiated in 2020, the Uganda Goat project works to provide children in remote communities with goats, with the goal of improving their lives through farming. Mohana Rambe is a fourth-year Faculty of Management student and volunteer with the Enactus Club. Together, with the Spinoza Foundation—organized by a UBCO alumnus—they are organizing a virtual fundraising event Saturday, February 12.
Many of the children have been orphaned after their parents died from HIV. They now live in poverty with their grandparents and many suffer with medical, social and mental health issues, she explains.
With $50 the group can purchase a female goat for a child or youth living with HIV in Uganda. Goats are ideal because they are affordable and resilient to extreme weather, diseases and parasites, says Rambe. A doe can also produce a kid twice a year, meaning more goats will help more families.
“Before we began this project, the families were consulted about the best way to uplift their household income and goat farming was unanimously selected,” says Rambe. “As this project continues, the number of goats will multiply, and these families can use the milk to enrich the nutrition of the children, sell the goats to pay school fees and other basic needs.”
A Night for Uganda will host poetry and music performances by 20 different artists. Many of the artists are students, faculty members and alumni of UBC Okanagan.
Last year, the club successfully supported 63 families with a female goat each, says Dr. Eric Li, the Enactus Club faculty advisor. The goal this year is to provide more than 200 female goats. He notes, before receiving the goats, beneficiaries are trained to ensure that they are committed to caring for their goats and understand basic practices in goat farming.
“This is a perfect example of how current and past students—many international ones—work together to bring an international issue to members of our community while they are doing philanthropic work,” says Dr. Li. “Our students have taken an important subject and already changed the lives of children and young people thousands of miles away.”
The event is free and open to the public. For more details, a list of performances and to buy tickets, visit: eventbrite.com/e/a-night-for-uganda-tickets-259263663597
