How well do World Vision’s livestock programs work?

In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, Chingkume watches as her children make their daily departure for school.

This morning ritual—washing and dressing, gathering the day’s supplies—remains remarkable for the mom of three.

“There was a time when I could not let my children go to school because we could not afford it,” she reflects. “Now I save money for the future from my very own income and spend it on my children’s education.”

Lifechanging livestock

World Farm Animals Day is marked on October 2 every year, a chance to recognize the importance of animals in people’s lives and to advocate for their humane care. Chingkume, 42, smiles broadly as she gathers her goats to feed. She clasps a magnificent rooster in her arms. The rest of her flock pecks about the yard. Chingkume's gratitude for these animals is real, because they’ve completely altered her life.

Not long ago, she and her husband were deeply impoverished, struggling to live on his day-labourer wage. Her life was consumed with worry. After enrolling in a holistic World Vision project that included—among other things—training in how to raise chickens and goats and a start-up supply of animals—she feels like an entirely different woman.

Now, with a regular supply of milk and eggs and produce from her new garden, she can feed her family and turn a profit. At last, they are financially stable. Her neighbours drop by to learn how she does it.

“For a woman of an ethnic minority group, it’s a great achievement for me to become an asset to society rather than being a burden,” Chingkume says.

Animals bring income, nutrition and increased resilience

One approach World Vision offers for families fighting poverty is livestock transfers —providing animals like goats, sheep, pigs or cattle, along with training and support to care for them.

Livestock can be transformative: a goat can provide milk for children; a young pig can be sold to pay school fees; a cow can plough fields to grow more food. Along with the animals, families receive training in livestock health, climate-smart farming techniques and food storage— skills that may strengthen their livelihoods for years, even generations. The result is better nutrition, new sources of income and greater resilience when crises hit.

“Not everyone agrees with using animals to meet people’s needs,” says Arunava Saha, deputy director of technical programs at World Vision Bangladesh, while making a compelling case for the role of animals in lifting families from ultra-poverty. “But it’s not just about food and animals are never just a careless add-on in poor people’s lives. They become central to a family’s well-being.”

Livestock programming cost-benefit analysis

Between 2019 and 2023, World Vision Canada implemented 14 livestock transfer projects across nine countries, reaching more than 23,000 households with the help of our supporters. To measure the impact of these efforts, we commissioned an external analytics firm to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the projects.

The findings were encouraging, revealing:

• Every dollar invested in our livestock programming generated approximately two dollars in economic and health benefits.
• Participating families received $1,500* in benefits, on average, thanks to increased income and improved nutrition.
• An estimated 353 children’s lives were saved over five years—this averages to one life saved every week.

While results varied across countries, the overall conclusion shows livestock transfers are an effective use of resources and create a real impactTM for the families and communities who participate.

For a deeper look at the findings, please see the executive summary, Livestock transfers: Cost-benefit analysis.

If you require access to the accessible version of this summary, please contact us at 1-866-595-5550.

*US$1,101, as reported in the executive summary