Days before she was scheduled to depart for another trip to Nepal, Rosalind Russell received a desperate plea from R Star Foundation’s on the ground manager, Rabindra Situala. While 200 pregnant goats have already been purchased, more women than expected signed up to receive the income-producing animals and Situala is 50 animals short.
Russell, who sent a message from Katmandu this past Monday, is asking those interested to consider making a donation for the Christmas season. Each goat, which comes with necessary vaccinations plus training on how to care for them, costs $200.
Russell, up until recently a local resident, recently received a grant from Laguna Beach-based Impact Giving to provide 50 women in two rural villages with goats. By selling the offspring, the women have the chance to earn income that they use to help provide their families with food, medicine and often tuition so that their children can attend school. Additionally, R Star is seeking $250 to install a hanging garden at the school the foundation built. Since arable land is at a premium, the vertical gardens, which would be new to the area, will be used to grow vegetables and flowers and to showcase a space saving gardening method to the community.
Anyone interested in giving a goat for Christmas or funding the vertical garden can send checks to R Star Foundation, P.O. Box 4183, Laguna Beach, CA. 92652 or donate on line at rstarfoundation.org.
