5 reasons why your gift of a sheep will make a big difference

By gifting a sheep through ChildFund's Gifts that Grow catalogue, you are creating positive change for children in need.

For children like nine-year-old Christina, pictured, life has changed significantly, thanks to a sheep provided through ChildFund's gift catalogue. Families in her community often struggle without enough income to adequately care for their children. This often leads to families not having enough food to eat or enough available funds to afford school fees and supplies.

Through ChildFund's Gifts that Grow catalogue, kind supporters can help children like Christina by purchasing livestock, such as sheep, goats, chickens and cows. 

Sheep provide great benefit for children and families. Here are eight reasons why your gift of a sheep will make a big difference in ChildFund's dedicated communities: 

1. Sheep wool is a renewable source of warmth and comfort. 

Have you ever wondered why having a cozy wool jumper is so nice on cool winter nights? It's because wool is an excellent insulator, keeping you warm and dry. Wool is also naturally flame-resistent, recyclable and, best of all, sustainable!

In fact, one sheep can produce more than 12 kilos of wool every year! 

2. Sheep provide nutritious milk. 

Did you know? Sheep's milk is extremely nutritious. It has twice the calcium of cow milk, and high levels of proteins and vitamins, including vitamin C, B, thiamin, riboflavin and B-12, helping the body's immune and nervous systems. Sheep's milk also contains high levels of fat, which is excellent for growing children.

And, believe it or not, a dairy sheep can yield nearly 500 kg of milk annually. That's a lot of milk!

3. Sheep can live in many climates, and for a long time!

Sheep can be raised in a range of climates, which make them a resilient farming animal. They also don't need much space to roam, making them great for small farms and households.

And, healthy sheep can be productive for up to 10 years (although it's much more likely to remove sheep from a flock at around age 7). 

4. Sheep are quite easy to take care of. 

For new farmers, or people with other competing priorities, adding a sheep to your household farm won't become a burden. Sheep naturally graze the fields, so you can go off doing other things. And, since sheep eat grass, they help fertilize lawns with their manure, helping grass to grow. They don't even require expensive housing or equipment to manage.

Did you know? Sheep can also be taught to come when called! That's pretty impressive.

5. Breeding sheep can be earn a high income for families.

By farming sheep, families can earn a decent income. Because sheep provide many things like wool, meat, milk, manure, etc., they can play an important role in a farmer's economy, and it can make sheep even more valuable than some of a farm's other livestock. 

At ChildFund, we know the value of livestock for children and families. Because of kind Kiwis who give through our Gifts that Grow catalogue, we are able to help hundreds of families every single year by providing cows, goats, sheep and chickens to families who need them the most. We are always hearing from our in-country partners how much these livestock gifts transform the lives of those who receive them. 

To purchase a sheep for a child like Christina through our Gifts that Grow catalogue, click here.