Milk of human kindness

By Monique Ebrington
ROTARY Club of Healesville members have returned home after donating three cows to widows in Uganda.
Healesville Rotarians Sally Browne, Bruce Damman, Wilma Best and her husband Bruce visited the towns of Kasawo and Gayaza to make their donations.
Healesville Rotary members decided to name one of the cows Sally, after Ms Browne, as thanks for her generous donation that helped buy a cow.
It was Rotarian Wilma Best’s second visit to Uganda to donate cows and she said the widows were very appreciative of the donation from Healesville Rotary, individuals and the wider community.
“I had one women say, we don’t understand how people on the other side of the world, who don’t even know us, can give us such a precious gift,” Mrs Best said.
Individual donations from Ms Browne, Healesville resident Ruth Ricketson and Wangaratta resident Maggie, who donated the money saved for Christmas presents, were particularly appreciated.
She said the Rotary Club of Kampala developed the selection criteria for deciding where the cows went.
Mrs Best said it was the most needy widow, caring for orphans, who received a Friesian-cross cow that was in calf.
The cow provided roughly 15 litres of milk a day, enough to feed many orphans, and allowed the widow to trade any surplus milk for other goods such as fresh vegetables, she said.
Healesville has been working with the Rotary of Kampala for three years and has donated five cows to widows caring for orphans.
This year Healesville Rotary received a matching grant from the Rotary Foundation for its cow project, giving it enough funding to donate an additional 19 cows to widows in Uganda.