Economic Support

Not being able to earn enough money to live on also means parents do not have the strength or the means to fully provide for their children's health, education, and other needs.

Many parents have the opportunity, through SOS Children's Villages' family strengthening programs, to make a new start through vocational training or micro-credit initiatives.

 The SOS Children's Villages family strengthening programme (FSP) in Rutana is helping families in rural areas who live on subsistence agriculture. By giving Pascasie three goats, SOS Children's Villages helped her become self-reliant and gave her a sense of pride and confidence in her own life.

'SOS goats' saved my life

Produced By: Ms Mariantonietta Peru

Pascasie is a middle-aged, hard working woman with four children. She lives in southern Burundi, in the small village of Karindi, immersed in lush green vegetation and banana trees. She is among the FSP (family strengthening programme) beneficiaries, and, thanks to the help of SOS Children's Villages in Rutana, she was eventually able to take care of her children without any external support. In December 2010, the family strengthening programme gave Pascasie three goats for the production of manure, which was highly beneficial as a fertilizer to her vegetable garden.

Before she received the goats, Pascasie recalls, she had lost all hope for the future. 'Before SOS Children's Villages came to help,' she says, 'I used to live my life in pain and sorrow. Most of the time I cried in despair and wondered how I would be able to survive; I did not have anything. I could not grow anything for lack of fertilizer, which is very expensive here: very few people can afford it. Sometimes I begged for food: I took odd jobs just to get a little money to buy flour and beans. Sometimes, my children and I had nothing to eat. The worst times were when my children were ill with fever and I could not afford to buy medicine. I had no other choice but pour cold water on their heads in the hope that the fever would come down.' 

The goats, as Pascasie explains, now provide a valuable source of fertilizer every three months. She can now plant vegetables, such as spinach, beans, and maize, providing enough food for the children and herself. She said she could not believe her eyes when she was given the goats. 'When I received those goats, she says her eyes glittering with excitement, 'I was over the moon. I knew my life would improve and at last I could plant seeds. This meant survival.

The children are so happy:  they now know that SOS Children's Villages takes care of them. They look after the goats and understand that by doing so; they contribute to the family's livelihood.'

Pascasie now has 5 goats in all. This is an important safety-net for her - one goat can be sold, freeing up cash, while others maintain the supply of fertilizer. As the goats multiply, they will also provide a source of occasional meat. Meanwhile, SOS Children's Villages is looking after the health of Pascasies' children, and pays for their school fees. 'I am thankful to SOS Children's Villages who helped me in so many ways: food, health, school...' she says. 'SOS Children's Villages also gave me training on how to feed my children properly. But the best thing it taught me was to become economically independent, not wait for help, but try to survive by my own means. I now work only for myself on my own land. SOS Children's Villages helped me become self-reliant, and, more importantly, it gave me a sense of pride and a new confidence in myself and my life.'