A little over 70 miles from Nicaragua’s capital lies Posoltega, a municipality of 33 impoverished rural communities. A little over a decade ago, these rural communities suffered devastating mudslides as a result of Hurricane Mitch’s torrential rains – some communities were even wiped from the map completely.

One of the communities that endured the natural disaster still to this day needs significant help in restoring its inhabitant’s way of life. The people of these poor communities dedicate their time mainly to agriculture and animal husbandry, working their small plots for subsistence.

In 2009, ANF and Food for the Poor launched a project for this community of the hillside of the Volcano Casita, which gave 50 families the tools they needed to improve their way of life and make a worthy living for themselves and their families with a goat farm.

Each family received 2 female goats and 1 male goat, the tools and equipment they’d need to manage them, a fence to keep them contained, vaccinations, and free veterinary visits for 6 months.

What is most valuable, though, was not the tangible possessions that these people received, but the intangible. They received training and technical assistance from specialists on how to best manage their new goat farm. The topics discussed included medications, reproduction, butchering, commercialization, and the general management of the animals.


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