Over half of Cambodia’s population lives in rural areas, and many live on less than $3 per day. Owning a cow can give rural families a chance for a better life. The Australian charity Cows for Cambodia does that by providing cows to needy families.

Cows for Cambodia

Cows for Cambodia began when founder Andrew Costello visited Cambodia in 2011 and noticed the poverty level. He partnered with cattle expert Wallace Gunthorpe to bring his charity to life. By 2015, Cows for Cambodia had raised over $15,000 and given cows to 50 families. Today, it has become Cambodia’s biggest agricultural charity.

Cows for Cambodia is a cow bank. It loans pregnant cows to families who benefit from having them. The family looks after the pregnant cow, and when it gives birth, the family keeps the calf. The calf grows up, becoming worth $800 to the Cambodian family.

Many cows in Cambodia have bad reproductive performance, and calf survival rates have dropped significantly. Cambodian cattle also have poor body conditions and are susceptible to many diseases, such as foot and mouth disease and hemorrhagic septicemia. Worms, lice and flies also plague them. Cows for Cambodia’s goal is for each one of their cows to remain healthy and happy in Cambodia. Cows for Cambodia administers vaccinations and injections for each cow to ensure their health and happiness.

In Cambodia, a cow can be worth the same as a house, and many families only dream of owning one. Families can break free of the poverty cycle simply by owning a cow. Cattle are an important part of life in rural Cambodia, and they can become an investment for a family. Beyond just providing beef, families can use cattle as draft animals, and the cattle provide families with fertilizer so they can continue to farm. By owning a cow, a family’s finances improve, children stay in school longer and begin to lift themselves out of poverty.

Tours

In 2016, Cows for Cambodia had its first tour in Cambodia. Today’s tours center around charity work and cultural immersion in Cambodian villages. Participants of each tour have the opportunity to work with cows and families and learn about vaccinations and pregnancy testing at the cattle farm. Tours include cooking for kids and helping provide English lessons at the local village school. Tourists can also become a part of the world-famous rice run charity system and deliver over 3,000kg of rice to families who are in need.

Rice Runs

Cows for Cambodia began holding rice run donations in 2015, and they describe themselves as the fastest donation in the world. An Australian Facebook page asks people to donate $50 for a 50kg bag of rice. The donor can send a message to the Cambodian family that will receive the rice, which they write on the bag along with the donor’s name. The bag of rice reaches a Cambodian family within two hours, and the organization takes a photo of them with the rice, which they post on their Facebook page. This donation system ensures that 100% of the donation goes toward helping Cambodian families and allows the donor to see their donation’s use and who it helped.

How to Help

Cows for Cambodia offers ways donors can contribute to the cause and help these rural families. No matter the amount a donor is willing to donate, every amount can help a family. $15 can vaccinate a cow, $30 will feed a family for a month and $1000 will give a family a cow. Cows for Cambodia’s goal is to have 1,000 cows in the project, and each donation goes a long way toward achieving that goal.

– Jack Wells
Photo: Flickr