Send A Cow - History

History

Send a Cow was founded in 1988 by a group of UK dairy farmers in response to European Union milk quotas which forced the slaughter of healthy dairy cows and an appeal for milk in Uganda.
Several farmers flew to Uganda to find out the best way for them to help. The country was emerging from a civil war which had destroyed communities, farmland and much of the country's livestock. Meeting with Ugandan farmers, the Bishop of Mukono, and a livestock expert enabled them to see that smallholder dairy farming in Africa would provide an instant source of nutrition through the production of milk.
On their return to the UK the farmers sent cows to Uganda from their own herds.

Although the initial aim was for communities to improve their livelihoods through milk production it soon became clear to Send a Cow that manure from cows was an even more valuable product. For the 70% of the poor people of Uganda who had poor quality soil for growing crops, manure was an ideal way to improve their land and raise their crop yields.

Send a Cow currently work in seven countries: Uganda, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Lesotho, Rwanda, Zambia and Kenya. Send a Cow provides livestock, all of which is sourced from within Africa, training and ongoing support; all tailored to meet the diverse needs of the individuals, families and communities with whom the charity works.

In 2010, Prince Charles became President of Send a Cow for a period of five years.