Charity Ambassador Rory Best Launches Christmas Appeal
International rugby star and Bóthar NI Ambassador Rory Best today launhed the charity's Christmas appeal, which aims to drastically change the lives of 3,000 families in developing countries, with unique airlifts of livestock - including goats - from Northern Ireland.
The aid organisation is calling upon Northern Irish people to give the gift of life to a loved one this Christmas, by donating towards sending local livestock to families in 35 developing countries on their behalf.
Bóthar NI Ambassador Rory Best has become a supporter of the charity because of his farming background. He said: “Northern Ireland has some of the world’s best livestock – they are hardy and provide excellent amounts of milk for drinking and producing food, which is in stark contrast with livestock in the developing world. So giving them some of ours is not just a nice present, it creates sustainable life.
“Bóthar NI’s range of options for the public to donate as Christmas gifts start from as little as £8 for a share of snails for families in Cameroon where they will provide both nutrition and income. A share of an Irish dairy goat costs £55, while the top end of the appeal is £3680 for the Bóthar Global Village Gift - a small farm, together with veterinary and animal husbandry support, that will lift 17 families from poverty forever."
Bóthar has produced a Christmas Gift Catalogue – available at www.bothar.co.uk which sets out all the options for the public to choose from.
The cost of each gift includes the cost of the animal, training and preparation for the family, transportation of the animal to its new country and family as well as full veterinary back-up and in-country support for the initial two-four years. Every gift comes with a gift card to put under the tree, ready for opening on Christmas Day.
Bóthar NI Representative Aoibheann Fearon said: “Last Christmas, in excess of 2,000 individual gifts were purchased from the Christmas catalogue, but this year we have set the bar higher for our appeal as the need is as great as ever. When people donate through our catalogue they have tangible evidence of their contribution to lifting a family from poverty.
“The beauty of the programme is that each family that receives a gift agrees to pass on the first female offspring born to their animal to another family in need.· This means that it's a gift that keeps on giving."
The Bóthar NI Christmas Gift Catalogue is available to view online at www.bothar.co.uk . Hard copies can be requested by freephoning 0800 039 0267.
Donations can be made at www.bothar.co.uk , by telephone at 0800 039 0267, in person or by post at / to Bóthar NI, Anna House, 37a Upper Dunmurray Lane, Belfast, BT17 0AJ.