Stronger herds, stronger homes

Training Women in Livestock Management

Nestled in the sun-scorched plains of Thar, the modest home of Dhuri stands as a testament to resilience and familial devotion. Within its humble walls, Dhuri, her husband Mangal, and their three children weave a life rich with love and mutual support. Yet, the unforgiving climate casts a shadow over their days, bringing extreme environmental challenges that severely limit their opportunities for sustenance. With resources scarce, Dhuri and Mangal take turns toiling as daily wage crop farmers.

Dhuri was chosen as a participant in a transformative humanitarian initiative spearheaded by Community World Service Asia and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH), where she received a comprehensive package
of support designed to uplift her family’s prospects. This assistance encompassed cash grants, a hydroponic kit, premium seeds for crop cultivation, nourishing animal fodder for her livestock, and most crucially, expert training to nurture and sustain these vital resources with confidence and skill.

Dhuri, along with a group of women selected under the project, learned a useful new skill through their training: crafting mineral blocks to nourish their cows.

These hand-shaped treats, made with a simple blend of water, salt, jaggery, cement, urea, and wheat chaff, quickly became a favourite among the cows, who eagerly lap them up without hesitation.

Since applying this knowledge, Dhuri has felt a remarkable difference in caring for her cattle. She lovingly
creates what she affectionately calls “Sheera blocks,” designed to boost her livestock’s gastrointestinal health.

Dhuri reflects that, before this experience, she had never encountered any training or practice that brought such valuable awareness. Yet, since applying these new insights, she has observed a noticeable and heartening change in her daily efforts. “The cattle used to have many gut problems before, but now we don’t see any of them”, Dhuri recalls. “There is actually substantial improvement. They produce more milk, and it’s much cleaner too”.

Dhuri feels happy about the minimal effort and cost it requires to make the mineral blocks. She says that, as beneficial as they are, they are extremely economical. As a dedicated sharecropper, Dhuriwas overjoyed to harvest PKR 70,000(246 USD) from her cultivated fields, a clear sign of the support’s meaningful impact.

Dhuri’s children are her world. Unlike many parents who pull their children, especially daughters, out of school to ease the family’s workload, Dhuri stands firm with a heartfelt promise. “We’ve decided not to weigh our children down with life’s tough duties just yet. This age is for going to school and we want them to focus on that alone. When the moment is right, they’ll step into their roles with confidence.”

Going forward, Dhuri stated that she did not take this assistance for granted. “We are grateful for all the resources and wisdom shared with us,” she said with heartfelt gratitude. “We’re committed to proving we’re putting it to good use and showing the world how well we have honoured this generous help.”