Can One Cow Change the Future? Animal Bank Challenge.
Where HOPE works in rural areas of Cambodia, many families depend on agriculture for their livelihood. They live in a harsh environment with few resources, making it difficult for them to obtain sufficient food and income.
When a cow is delivered to a farmer from the HOPE Animal Bank can you imagine how important these heifers, purchased with your donations, are to farmers?
Find out more about how these cows are changing families' lives.
What is an Animal Bank?
HOPE's Animal Bank in Cambodia aims to increase crop yields, household incomes and economic independence by lending cows to farmers who cannot afford to buy their own livestock and farm with the help of the cow.
With your donations, HOPE purchases heifers and loans them to farmers for about 18 months. The goal is to expand farming and generate sustainable income by loaning heifers over a longer period. The power of the cow can make a big difference to a family's future!
Since 2010 to date, HOPE's Animal Bank has delivered 252 cows in support of rural communities.
Hope created by Animal Bank
Cows on loan from the Animal Bank make a huge difference in the lives of farmers. Cows plough fields many times faster and more vigorously than humans, and the natural fertilizer they produce enriches the soil and increases yields. Selling the extra harvest at the market, families can generate sufficient income to stabilize their livelihoods.
The heifer then gives birth to a new life - a calf. The calf will belong to the family, and it is a big step towards independence. After 18 months, when the calf is weaned, the mother cow is loaned to the next family and this cycle is repeated six or seven times. This is how one cow can become a force to support several families over many years.
Since 2010, HOPE has provided a wide range of assistance in Cambodia. We are rooted in the community, and known for including access to safe water supply, quality education, and agricultural support. HOPE works to help families become self-reliant and revitalize their communities using this integrated approach. Among these, the Animal Bank is an important component that directly supports farmers' self-reliance and builds a sustainable future.
Animal Bank is also available on video.
'SIM', an introduction to Animal Bank from the perspective of a calf »
The Touch Family Story
The Touch family in the Krawsaing Pnov Village has improved their lives with the help of HOPE’s Animal Bank.
Touch, her husband Chantha, and their three children moved to the Krawsaing Pnov Village in 2017. When they first moved to the area, they could not grow crops due to the lack of water nearby, and as they could not find work, Chantha had no choice but to migrate to the Thai border to work, leading to a hard life with difficulties.
However, when HOPE built a well in the village and clean water became available close to home, Touch's family started growing rice, mung beans and maize, and later, when they were loaned a cow from the Animal Bank, they expanded their fields with the help of the cow and their harvest increased dramatically.
The increased crop can now be sold at the market and their three children can go to school. Touch and her family told us, "We are happy because our lives are more stable, and we no longer have to worry about daily necessities!"
L to R: Touch, calf Moumoyuh, mother cow.
Your Support Creates a Brighter Future
HOPE's Animal Bank is made possible by your support. One cow has the power to make a huge difference to a family's life. Like the Touch family, whose lives have been stabilized and their children have had the opportunity to receive an education, a little help from us can be the power to change the future of someone less fortunate. Please consider giving to the HOPE Animal Bank.
