A REMOTE part of Nepal has received a boost to its dairy market thanks to the fundraising efforts of a Jersey primary school.
It was decided by children on the school council at St Lawrence Primary School – which has representatives from each class – that they wanted to raise money for the charity Heifer International.
The council wanted to help those less fortunate than themselves by supporting the charity that runs a project known as Jersey Valley’s Nepal which helps “increase the resilience of small holder dairy farmers” in the Gandaki Province.
There, dairy farmers face “significant challenges”, including low milk yields, limited income from the dairy and high-vulnerability to climate-related impacts such as landslides, droughts heat, stress and floods.
The project, funded by Jersey Overseas Aid, has established a nucleus herd of Jersey cows and sent genetic material so the native cows can cross-breed to help improve milk yields.
This really hit home with the students as it linked Jersey cows and the Island’s successful dairy industry to the challenges faced by others across the world that they’d been learning about.
The pupils held a fundraising day on 1 April with activities including a non-uniform day, a disco, Easter card-making and games including guess the name of the Easter bunny and guess the number of Easter eggs in the jar.
Year 4 teacher Katie De La Cloche said there was a brilliant atmosphere among the children as they “just love those sorts of days when it’s so different to a normal school day”.
The meaning behind the fundraising was brought home during an assembly held at the end of the day in which the St Lawrence pupils got to hear from children in Nepal.
Sara Peeters, from Heifer Netherlands, shared the testimonies from people in Nepal who will benefit from the project which is bringing the Jersey breed of cow to their community.
In one, Rama Adhikary (38) from Lahachock-4 in Kaski, Nepal said: “Right now, my cow is giving less milk than I need. The milk also has low fat so I’m earning less for each litre.
“I would really like to have an improved breed that produces more milk with better fat so my income can increase. I’m also interested in learning simple, low-cost feeding practices that can help improve production.”
Meanwhile, Ramji Bhatta (48) from Baradi-1 in Tanahun, Nepal said: “I expect the project to help improve our animal sheds and support better management practices within the cooperative.
“It would also be important to ensure access to improved livestock, especially through semen from quality Jersey breeds. Along with that, strengthening the milk marketing system would really help us get better returns for our produce.”
And, Ganesh Giri, from Pokhara-21, Kaski, Nepal said: “I am a small farmer and don’t have the means to buy additional animals on my own. I hope the project can support me by helping cover part of the cost of livestock.
“I also need improved perennial grass varieties that produce more biomass for feeding. Along with that, I would like support to improve the quality of my milk so that I can get a better price in the market.”
