Stories of Change


Decius Dorcelus with the mother cow and her calf. Photo: Samuel Paul / SSID


CWS and partners have distributed cows to 15 families in Boen and Ganthier, Haiti.

One animal changes many lives

As part of a CWS and ACT Alliance food security program in Boen and Ganthier, Haiti, some farmers receive goats or cows.

For these families in Haiti, a cow is a big investment and is often too expensive for the family to afford on their own. But cows are also a great source of extra income and better nutrition. Adding milk to a family’s diet means extra nutrition, and new calves that are born can be sold for additional income.

Decius Dorcelus was one of the farmers who received a cow. He and his wife, Mariterne Delima, are the parents of 11 children who live in Bosquet, which is part of the town of Ganthier. Decius had experience with taking care of cows before this program, but he wasn’t able to afford one on his own.

Decius was selected to receive a cow through the program, but like all recipients, the gift was conditional. He has to take good care of the animal, and once the mother cow had a calf, he would return the cow so that the same gift could be given to another family. The calf would be his.

Sure enough, Decius is living up to his word. He tells us, “I grow a lot of crops and with the remainders such as the straw of the corn and sorghum or sweet potatoes I take good care of my cow. My cow now has a calf and I milk the cow. Not every day, because I let the calf drink enough as well so that it can become strong.”

The cow is already making a difference for the whole family’s diets. Decius gets a gallon of milk when he milks the cow, and he makes sure his children are drinking milk. He reminded us, “The milk is good for children and also for adults because it gives us lots of vitamins.”

With the new calf, the impact of having a cow will continue for many years. In Decius’s words, “I had been working for a long time but it was difficult for me to buy a cow with my own money, but now I have a cow thanks to the program. That makes me very happy. I hope the program continues to help many other people in the community to also have a cow. Thank you very much.”