Families in one rural community in South Asia were living in extreme poverty, unable to feed and clothe their children—much less send them to school.
Send Relief created a community development plan that would empower the local leaders to take ownership of their futures through unexpected means—pig farming.
While this village had never undertaken animal husbandry, our teams were shocked to see residents almost immediately take the initiative to make projects more effective, and they were excited to see the results!
This community development project had three main objectives.
- Transform typical farming crops into pig feed by training employees in feed production and storage, while processing the soybeans and corn needed to feed the new livestock
- Teach four other underprivileged communities how to sell piglets by teaching salesmanship, pigpen construction and the vaccination process for newborns
- Empower community leaders to provide for their families through a sustainable farming method that was suited to their surroundings
The project was extremely successful. Local leaders are now asking to integrate spiritual ministry into pig farming trainings and have begun developing their own community projects during the coronavirus lockdown.
All of the families involved now expect to be self-sufficient in 6-18 months which, after a lifetime of living in generational poverty, is a miracle.
The community was also stable enough that when outside refugees fleeing ethnic conflicts arrived, they were able to buy their own land and participate in the pig farming project to provide for their families. One local leader commented, “The knowledge we are gaining will give us more profit than anything. I’m only 30 years old, and I feel like I’ve received a lifetime of training!”
Your generosity made it possible for this community to adopt a cost-effective, sustainable method to keep their children fed and to motivate village leaders to develop their own training materials to share with other struggling villages.
Pray for these leaders to wisely integrate spiritual ministry with the community development trainings and for the ongoing civil war in the region to stop displacing so many families in need. To support more agricultural projects that help vulnerable communities, give now.
Published December 15, 2020