AISHA AL-FADI

My name is Aisha Al-Fadi. I am a widow and the mother of four children. My husband was attacked and killed by hyenas three years ago while on duty as village herdsman. He was our only source of income and a strong pillar of stability in our family. After his burial, I suffered the blame for his death and was tagged for many other misfortunes in the family. My brothers-in-law violently ousted me and my children from our family house, demolishing it to make sure I never returned to it, saying that I would just cause more trouble for their family. Together with my children, I had no choice but to move back to my ill, bedridden mother. Each day I fetch water and firewood to sell in my village for a small stipend. Occasionally, I also wash clothes and clean houses for a fee. I toil tirelessly and endure many insults in earning some money to buy food for my starving children and medication for my ill mother.

Receiving the two pregnant goats is an answer to my countless prayers for some form of relief. I take the goats and help them to find forage among the thorny acacia trees in our locality as we eagerly wait for them to give birth in two months’ time. My children, who have had to suffer for lack of food, will soon be drinking goat’s milk rich in nutrients. This will end their malnutrition-related diseases and restore their health and energy. I will sell part of the milk to buy cereals and vegetables for my starving children and medication for my bedbound mother. I will also save some of the income from the milk so that I can pay school fees, buy school uniforms, books, and pencils for my two younger children, who will be starting school next year. I am blessed and I have no better words to express my gratitude because of the hope the goats have brought us. I will give the first kid of each goat to the next beneficiary.