For months now inmates at Shelton Abbey prison, Co. Wicklow have been catering for a new breed of inmates; four-legged, hay-devouring, milk-producing and life-changing dairy goats donated to Bóthar by Irish farmers up and down the country. Bóthar is the international development agency that specializes in the use of livestock. The goats are being collected at the fully functioning farm on the prison grounds prior to their much-anticipated flight to Uganda, East-Africa.
The prisoners from Shelton Abbey open prison have raised 320 goats, in a project which is the first of its kind in Ireland.
“It is a unique project for Bóthar and Shelton Abbey,” Marju Mikkov from Bóthar told ciNews.
The charity was approached by Shelton Abbey early in this year. They had a functioning farm and needed a project. “We needed a place to raise goats. It was a win-win situation.”
A half a dozen prisoners worked with the goats who were donated to Bóthar by farmers the length and breadth of the country. The goats spent their ‘quarantine’ period in Shelton, while 400 struggling families in Uganda were finishing their 3-month training programme preparing for the animals.
Quickly the whole prison population became involved and interested in the project and the animals. While no plans have been finalized for a continuation of the collaboration between prison and 3rd world charity, Mikkov says everyone is “hopeful and enthusiastic” that it should continue.
“The prisoners are sad to see the goats leaving, and they have offered to look after other animals for us,” she said.
Meanwhile the 320 goats raised at Shelton, and another 120 goats collected in Northern Ireland await their airlift to Uganda.
The animals were meant to leave last week, but the aircraft booked for the flight has been sold, and has had to be re-registered. “There is a lot of paperwork and it is taking longer than expected,” said Mikkov, who is confident however, that the goats will be in Uganda in time for Christmas. Ideally they try to send goats in kid to Africa, so the Ugandan family immediately has two goats.
Bóthar says that giving a gift of an Irish dairy goat to a family in Africa changes their lives forever.
“An Irish goat will produce approximately four litres of nutritious milk per day - that's up to four times as much milk as a local cow. This is enough to enable the family to enjoy milk in their diet and raise money from the sale of extra milk and cheese. Families who receive dairy goats from Bóthar would often not have enough land to support a larger animal, so the gift of a dairy goat will go to the poorest of the poor,” said Mikkov.
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(Source: CIN)