BBF's Dairy Goat Program, like our other programs, is entirely self-sustaining and carefully designed to provide income, business management skills, and nourishment to beneficiary families for generations to come.

Introducing a herd of 30 goats to a remote village of a few hundred people can have a dramatic environmental impact: the goats need food and water, and they produce waste. In order to ensure that our Goat Dairy Program produces the maximum benefits to villagers with little impact on their natural surroundings, BBF partnered with the GreenHand Field School in Aceh, a project of the Yayasan IDEP Foundation based in Bali, Indonesia.

With the combined knowledge of Building Bridges to the Future and GreenHands Field School, villages in Aceh now have profitable goat dairies that provide jobs and nourishment without any ill effects on the villages' sanitation or drinking water.

Self-sustaining and Environmentally Friendly

BBF's Dairy Goat Program is carefully designed to be entirely self-sustaining, providing profits, business management skills, and nourishment to families for generations to come. As the herd of goats continues to grow and thrive, so does the number of beneficiary families.

In order to protect community sanitation, prevent disease, and protect local drinking water, Building Bridges to the Future Foundation carefully designs its livestock programs to grow without negatively affecting the ecosystem of the villages. When introducing a new herd of goats into a village, BBF staff trains the new entrepreneurs and the community on the importance of conservation and organic recycling efforts so that they may continue to enjoy the many other benefits they receive from their environment.

Program Highlights

• 30 female dairy goats and 3 males are provided (depending on the size of the village and number of beneficiaries)
• A soybean, corn, and peanut farm is also provided
• Vegetables are consumed or sold by villagers for income
• Plant leaves and stalks are used as feed for goats
• Goat manure is used as fertilizer for the crops; surplus manure is sold
• When new males are born and raised, older males may be fattened or sold
• Goat milk can be consumed or sold at market
• Freezer and pasteurizer are provided to process milk for storage and consumption

Livelihood & Skills Training

• Veterinary skills are taught by local veterinarian and the head of Indonesian Goat & Sheep Assn.
• Financial literacy training to manage costs and profits
• Shared responsibilities among beneficiaries efficiently allocates resources and ensures property protection
• Sanitation training for goathandlers