Goats for families in extreme poverty pitched as 'meaningful and lasting' holiday gift
World Vision: For those on your list who already have everything, consider those who have next to nothing
If ewe have just goat to find a holiday gift that's not baaaaad this holiday season, Amy Bourque has a suggestion.
The provincial youth and student leader with World Vision is asking Canadian families to give the gift of livestock to people living in extreme poverty in other parts of the world.
For $100, she said you can provide an overseas family with a goat in the name of a loved one here at home.
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"Especially this time of year, we get very busy and everything gets very commercial," Bourque said.
"I think it's a great way to get back to why we celebrate this holiday, by giving something that's meaningful and lasting."
World Vision says one dairy goat can provide a family with up to 250 litres of milk a year, while a pair can be bred to produce two to three kids a year, with the potential to lead to a whole herd.
"It creates sustainability," Bourque said. "This goat becomes a source of income and it helps build the economy."
The charitable organization also makes it possible to donate other livestock, including cows, sheep, chickens and alpacas, through its website.
World Vision operates in more than 100 countries worldwide, Borque said, but gifts like these will be focused particularly on Kenya and South Sudan due to the presence of "extreme hunger" in some parts of those countries at the moment.