Volume 15, No. 4
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Breeding Self-Reliance In The West Bank
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Fatmah, 48, is proud of her small but growing flock of sheep. The milk and meat that they produce will provide a steady source of nutrition for her family in this remote region of the West Bank. (Photo credit: R. Tierney/IOCC) |
Keeping a family of five children fed is a daily challenge for Fatmah, 48, and her husband. Their access to water is limited, making it difficult to produce adequate food from their vegetable garden in the West Bank village of Falamiya. To supplement her efforts, IOCC provided Fatmah with a ewe as part of a women's cooperative program to improve food security for at-risk families in the West Bank.
Fatmah is one of 24 women in the village who has received technical support in home gardening from IOCC, or been given chickens or sheep along with feed and animal husbandry training. Her newborn male lambs will be raised and sold at auction, with the proceeds used to buy more ewes to grow the flock. In the meantime, Fatmah says the sheep's milk is a welcome addition to her family's diet, producing enough to make cheese and yogurt.
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