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“I w ant you to under st and the i m port an

ce of a cow.  When 

 you give  a cow  you are re storing the dign

ity of   a  per son.  It 

i s  a w a y to  s a y f  arewell to  povert y”

Y ve s

“Now I h ave  m anure f or the l and ,  milk  and  mone y.  I w

 ant to 

give you  a me s s age – we  are on the w a y 

to conquer povert y“

Muk angog a

” Alre ad y I h ave m anure  – I w a s  able to  pl an

t 80 kilo s of   pot atoe s 

 and h arve st 800 kilo s.  Bef ore I h ad  a cow I went round doing 

nothing  all d a y  but now I h ave  m y cow to

c are f or”

Edw ard

”We no longer  suf f er f ro m  m alnutrition 

 and we h ave butter”

 Angelique

“I  s aved the e xtr a I h ad f ro m  selling  milk

.  I w a s  able to build 

 a hou se which I nowrent out f or  20 ,000 

RwFr (  about  £ 20 ) a 

 month. I c an give  m y neighbour s  milk if 

 the y  are sick  and 

when f riend s vi sit I c an give the m  a cu p 

of  te a“

D a phro se

Comfort Rwanda was established in Scotland in

1999 to partner Solace, an indigenous Rwandan

charity bringing aid and reconciliation to widows and

orphans following the genocide of 1994. Together 

we have seen hearts, homes & livelihoods restored.

Today they live with a hope and a future.

   D  e  s   i  g  n  e   d   b  y   T   h  e   M  c   A   l  p   i  n  e   P  a  r   t  n  e  r  s   h   i  p ,  w  w  w .  m  c  a   l  p   i  n  e  p  a  r   t  n  e  r  s   h   i  p .  c  o .  u

   kWe began the Cattle Project in 2002 using £5000 raised by thechairman, Callum Henderson from a sponsored cycle acrossRwanda. This allowed Solace to train widows in cattlehusbandry, build two cow sheds in Nyanza and establish twoherds of cattle in that area.

At Kabuga, to the east o f Kigali, a cattle shed has been builtand a flourishing herd of improved breed cows is established.Cows are now being distributed to individuals in varioussurvivors communities who have a suitable field to rear themon. Even just one cow can make a huge difference to asurvivor, providing milk to drink and around £2 a day throughthe sale of surplus milk, which exceeds the target income ofboth the government and Solace Ministries. Further cows havebeen distributed as part of the integrated project at Bugeseraand funds have been given for new start projects of cattle forMuyira and Bisesero. We are delighted at the support givenand are growing very fond of Friesian cows!

 Help us to establish a nucleusbreeding herd of good quality  Friesian cows in the Bugesera

 region of Rwanda.

Comfort Rwanda guarantees 100% of all money donated for any designated 

 purpose will be forwarded to Rwanda and used for that purpose.The Nucleus Breeding Herd Project is being run by

Living Water Ministries

in partnership with Comfort Rwandawww.comfortrwanda.org.uk

To support this project please send yourcheques (payable to Living Water) to:

Nucleus Breeding Herd ProjectLiving Water Ministries

15 Lawers Road, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, DD5 3TQ

Charity Number SC036853. Company Number SC 291194Charitable Company Registered in Scotland.

For further information call Ian White - 01334 829422

Nucleus Breeding Herd Project

Nucleus Breeding Herd Project

8/8/2019 1000 Cows, Nucleus Breeding Herd Project

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• known as the heartof Africa, Rwandais tucked between

Uganda, Tanzania,

Congo and Burundi

• less than 1/3 thesize of Scotland, it ishome to 10 million people

• Rwanda now has a democratic governmentcommitted to healing and reconciliation.

• coffee & tea plantations, bananas, cassava,sweet potatoes & beans cover “the land of 

1000 hills”  

• on 7th April 1994 the nation was torn apart.In 90 days one million men, women & childrenwere massacred in inter-tribal ethnic cleansing

• 300,000 widows & orphans survived thegenocide many with Aids/HIV from mass rape

• In 2004 the Gisozi memorial was opened inKigali for a further 260,000 bodies unearthedsince the genocide

Rwanda is known as the Land of 1000 hills.Comfort Rwanda’s aim is provide 1000 cowsto graze these hills.

We are seeking to develop long term supportby providing cattle for distribution in widow’s

co operatives throughout the country.

The provision of cattle

• provides an important source of nutrition through the milk 

• allows milk to be sold to pay for daily needs such as

education, clothes and health care

• Produces manure which can significantly improve crop yields

from the exhausted soil

• Allows calves to be donated for other widows

• Provides a focus for the widows groups to support and

encourage each other and the community around them.

For continued success in this area, Comfort Rwanda needs

grazing land, sheds for shelter and good quality stock for

breeding.

 A Friesian cow costs around £850. When a donation

is made to Comfort Rwanda, their Rwandan partners wi ll buy

individual cows from within Rwanda or other African countries.

The aim of this project is to raise money withthe hope of establishing a nucleus breeding herdof good quality Friesian cows in the Bugaseraregion of Rwanda.

Cattle have always occupied an important place in Rwandansociety; their arrival at a wedding as a dowry can lead to longdiscussions between the two families about the respective meritsof the cows and the bride, the bridegroom meanwhile beingforgotten!

The colonial rulers were able to exploit this to divide and rule thepopulation. In 1933 the Belgian rulers issued a proclamation thatanyone owning more than ten cows was a Tutsi and, as thecolonialists continued to favour the Tutsi tribe, the ownership ofcattle became associated with ethnicity. As a result, when thegenocide broke out cattle were also slaughtered indiscriminately.Although some cattle survived, many of the hundreds ofthousands of widows were left without their precious cattle.

A Rwandan phrase denoting well-being is translated as “And we

had milk to drink” . For those widows there was no milk, no incomeand little or no hope.