Actor and comedian Peter Rowsthorn is encouraging Australians to make some extra room under their Christmas tree for a goat this year.
Mr Rowsthorn has donated his time to Oxfam in a photo campaign to raise awareness about Oxfam Unwrapped, a donation program that allows people to purchase goats and other useful animals and items to support the agency’s work with poor communities around the world.
“They say you should never work with children or animals but when I was approached by Oxfam to help encourage people to buy charity gifts this Christmas that rule went out the window.
“Most Christmas gifts are forgotten by New Year, but a goat from Oxfam will keep on giving milk and manure to people in Mozambique long into the future.
“Oxfam Unwrapped gifts are a great way to feel good on Christmas Day while helping Oxfam fight poverty around the world,” Mr Rowsthorn said.
This year, the purchase of a $39 goat from Oxfam Unwrapped will support Oxfam’s livelihoods work, including in the small town of Rovene in Mozambique where communities suffer severe food shortages as a result of ongoing drought.
Because goat rearing is also a traditional way of life in Rovene, Oxfam has been working with local partners since 2006 to create a ‘revolving goat fund’ in the community.
Orphans and vulnerable children are given a goat, and taught how to de-worm, vaccinate and look after the animals. The goats eat household food scraps, and provide milk for the children and manure for their gardens to help with growing food.
When the goats have kids, all but one of these can be sold to raise cash to provide families with income, that they can use to purchase food and pay for school fees.
The children must then donate one of the goats back to the community fund so that the cycle can continue, giving more families greater economic independence to help break their way out of poverty.
Oxfam Unwrapped Goats priced at $39 are just one of the many ways you can help poor communities this Christmas. The full range is available online at www.oxfamunwrapped.org.au or at Oxfam shops around the country.
For media enquiries or for other Peter Rowsthorn Christmas campaign images, contact Sunita Bose on 0407 555 960 or John Lindsay on 0425 701 801.
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