Today we’re celebrating the difference you made in Andhra Pradesh!
Raju, like all 13-year old boys, is full of energy. So Pastor Anil invited him to “catch a goat” for his mother. The boy had a real ball chasing every kid in the field, finally emerging triumphant and grinning from ear to ear, with the perfect one. We hope that million-dollar smile makes you smile, too. It’s a picture of your gifts at work ensuring Raju and his two sisters will have healthy goat milk and cheese to eat every day.
It also spurs us on to make even more children smile.
Did you know that right now – in
2022, an era of high-speed internet, self-driving cars, and robotic surgery –
India has the world’s highest number of children suffering from severe, acute
MALNUTRITION? (UNICEF)
Nearly 6 million Indian children, under the age of five, are affected by this most visible and lethal type of starvation that leaves their bodies with virtually no protection against common diseases like pneumonia.
In their statement, UNICEF called it “an overlooked child survival emergency” causing “one out of five deaths in children under five.”
But when a family like Raju's owns goats, everything changes. Raising goats means nourishing food on the table – every day. It provides children with nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy. In fact, goat milk has more protein, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium than cow milk!
Just as important, goat farming helps moms and dads to earn extra income to pay for better housing, clothing, and school tuition, not only giving their children new hope for a better future, but restoring parents’ dignity.
We invite you to join us in “smile-multiplying” once again this year. Together, we can help end the child starvation crisis in India - one goat, one child, one smile - at a time.
