Meet Abed: How Your Gift of a Goat Helped a 13-Year-Old Pay for Primary School

Thirteen year old Kigenyi Abed lives with his elderly grandmother in rural eastern Uganda. Being unemployed, she struggled deeply to pay for his school fees and standard learning supplies, leaving Abed’s education in constant jeopardy.

Luckily, Abed was registered for Global Village Connect’s Give a Goat program.

Abed received one healthy, fertile goat, which has since given birth to three kids.

A family effort of care

Caring for the goats is a true family effort. When Abed is away at school during the week, his grandmother supports him by feeding the goats and keeping them safe. On the weekends, Abed takes over their care entirely, and has even developed a special bond with them, often sitting by their enclosure and reading to them to practice his schoolwork.

In 2024, when school fees became due, Abed sold two of the goat offspring. The proceeds fully covered his tuition and supplies, allowing him to stay in the classroom at Hadassah Primary School.

“Abed is hopeful that his remaining goats will continue to reproduce, providing the vital financial means he needs to pay for secondary school next year.”

— Global Village Connect Field Team

The surest path out of poverty

Throughout the developing world, the prospects for children born in remote, rural villages are incredibly bleak. Without intervention, they are likely to remain trapped in the cycle of poverty and malnourishment for their entire lives. Compounding these economic struggles, many children in GVC’s partner communities come from unstable or unsafe homes.

At Global Village Connect, we believe the surest way out of poverty is education. But because school in Uganda isn’t free, we must find creative, local solutions to help families generate income.

One simple, life changing way to do that? Give a child a goat.