How we started
We started as a small group of people who came to the idea of helping people in need. Most of us are Canadians with Bosnian heritage.
After watching some charity based TV shows in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as traveling to Bosnia while on vacation, we realized that there is an enormous number of people who are in need of basic living necessities. Watching those shows was an eye opener to us. We realized that people around the world donate to help, however, that help is mostly of a temporary character. We realized that people who are hurting the most are those who had to leave their homes during the war as children, and have no means for livinghood once they return back. Most of those returnees have no income what so ever. If they are able from time to time, they work few hours “here and there” to make a living. But that is not nearly enough, especially for those with children.
“We came to an idea to find a solution that is inovative, sustainable and would involve our communities.”
First step – Viber
We decided to create a small group on social media using Viber, where we exchanged our ideas. We noticed watching those charity shows that people are often asking for a livestock, mainly a cow or a goat. We contacted a local charity organization in Bosnia and expressed that we would like to collect funds to donate cows to some of those families living in poverty. Our group collected funds for the first cow, and the rest is history. Our Viber group grew from day to day and our fundraising increased substantially, until we finally decided to establish a public non-profit organization named Krava Foundation Canada.
This is How It Works
So far we have helped 37 families including 80 children. Our local charity partners locate the families that qualify for our project. Those families are located mostly in the eastern Bosnia, like Srebrenica, Bratunac or the Podrinje region. Once located, the families are assessed, presented to the board and the donators in form of photos and videos telling us a little bit about them selfs. Once the funds are collected, cows are purchased and delivered to those families by our local partners, on our behalf. The families are obliged to sign a contractual agreement for a period of three years. They are to use the cows strictly for producing milk and dairy products. Cows must not be consumed for food. They are also encouraged to start a micro business by selling those products on the market, in hope of earning some money.
The families are visited periodically by our local partners for an update on their progress, or for any other assistance in breeding the cow.
Some of the families we helped
so far with our project
Looking To The Future
We are striving to develop a thousands strong membership. With the ongoing campaign of just a $10.00 CAD donation per month, it will be a respectful amount of money which will enable us to supply livestock to a large number of families with children. Our hope is that a significant number of our youth will get involved to develop the character with empathy in giving. It only take a community to work together and make a difference for those who are less privileged to basic necessities.