Unwrapped Stories: When animals help families build a better future

Who doesn’t love a good animal story—especially when it’s about the deep connection between four-legged creatures and the two-legged humans who depend on them? In a nutshell, that’s what Oxfam’s work with livestock is all about: the essential role cows and pigs, sheep and goats play in ensuring the well-being of the families who own them.

In many communities around the world, animals serve as the financial backbone for families, helping them feed their children, pay for doctor bills, and cover school fees. That’s why, when disaster strikes, Oxfam’s emergency responses often include support for this vital household asset. Sometimes, that means providing veterinary care so herds can stay strong. It can also mean ensuring that livestock has food to eat and water to drink. And it can even mean replacing animals swept away by storms.

Without their animals, many families would slip deeper into poverty. They wouldn’t have milk or eggs to sell in the market. There would be no breeding of kids or lambs, calves or piglets for later sale. And there would be no meat or dairy products to bolster family diets.

So when Oxfam is considering ways it can help people help themselves, animals are often at the heart of those projects. They are the means of making a living, and hold the promise of a better future for families.

Give a goat THROUGH OXFAM UNWRAPPED:

When you buy a goat, sheep, donkey or chicken through Unwrapped, you are supporting Oxfam’s programs. These gifts are not just about food security – they’re also about ensuring communities have access to marketable products, like milk, wool or eggs. A single goat can create greater self- sufficiency, self-esteem and educational opportunities for recipients and their families.

CLICK HERE TO GIVE A GOAT