Watch: How pigs will improve the lives of Christians in Ghana

Barnabas Aid has set the ambitious targets of providing a million chickens and a million pigs to Christians suffering poverty and marginalisation around the world. We simply wanted the privilege of giving our brothers and sisters a means of food and finance, so that they could have sustainable futures and be self-reliant. However, we soon discovered that this project means so much more to them than we ever expected..

 

Who is Andy?

Andy is an evangelist in northern Ghana, working for one of our project partners. He lives with the Dagomba people, visiting them and doing discipleship with them.

Andy says that the light of the Gospel changed everything about him, and now he wants to spread that light to others. “Where we find ourselves there is so much darkness around,” he says, “and you just have to shine your light.”

But working in such a remote and rural area as northern Ghana is exhausting – and often does not come with a reliable income.

What is life like in northern Ghana?

Northern Ghana is the poorest region of the country. Although southern Ghana is known for its tourism and rich culture, the further north you travel, the poorer the people become.

Andy explains that the north of Ghana in particular is a very dry area. “When the drought is severe, you can see that water bodies are dried, even dug up wells are dried.”

 

Survival for the people of northern Ghana is a daily task. It is not only lack of water and education that cause them to suffer. They also do not have access to healthcare, so something as simple as a snakebite can kill them.

“Why in this age should people be dying from snakebites?” asks Andy.

Because of the poverty of the region, pastors are often without a reliable source of income. Many have to walk for miles to visit their churches, praying that they will somehow still be able to feed their families.

How did Barnabas help?

Through our campaign to send livestock to impoverished Christians, Barnabas was able to provide 60 pigs to the 22 church leaders in the Gushiegu region, where Andy ministers.

The specific breed of pig Barnabas has sent reproduces quickly, and is expected to produce 200 piglets in a matter of months.

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Many of these piglets will be sold, raising money for the pastors and evangelists to continue their vital work and enable them to feed their families. The remaining pigs and piglets will continue to be raised, bred and used for food, manure, or sold as meat at the markets, for which they will fetch a high price.

Why did we give pigs?

In this region of Ghana, pork is used by many people groups and eaten on a daily basis. This high demand means that pig meat reaches high prices at the markets.

These factors, coupled with the rate at which they reproduce, make them a beneficial animal to keep.

“If you sell a pig now it gets so much money,” explains Andy. God willing, this income will be sufficient to pay not only for food. There will also be enough for the pastors to send their children to school, and buy other necessities as well.

What will the wider consequences be?

By the grace of God, these pigs will kick-start a means of income that will sustain the 22 pastors and their families for generations to come.

The income brought by the pigs will also be beneficial for the wider community, helping them become self-sufficient and not reliant on aid from charities for their survival.

“It’s a great relief for the people,” says Andy. “It can get to that time when maybe we don’t need to run to Barnabas Aid anymore for money to drill boreholes for people – but we can, just out of this piggery, have resources to drill boreholes for people.”

“I want to thank Barnabas Aid,” added Matthew, another pastor, “for this wonderful idea. It is not their own idea, but it is God who brought this idea to them.”