A home full of gratitude

Each morning, Christina and Julian Joachim start their morning with a simple, two-word prayer: “Thank you.” Then, they get to work; they have a busy day ahead of them.

Christina feeds the shed full of goats while Julian checks on one of their pregnant does; she’s due any day. Their six children eat breakfast and get ready for school. Their household is bustling with energy.

“We say thanks to God every time for the success we have. It’s not big, but we see the progress,” Julian says. “Thanks to FFHC, we are now happy and have a happy life. Our children are happy. They can go to school and even college.”

Each day, Christina and Julian collect at least three liters of milk. They feed their family first and sell what’s left at market. They use goat manure on their fields, which has led to an increase of their pigeon peas and sunflower crops.

When they need to buy supplies for their house or pay for their children’s education, they sell bucks and crops. When they partnered with FFHC, they had one goat. Last year, their shed was full — of 20 goats.

Christina and Julian excitedly participated in the pass-on and pass-back, eager to help another family see the same success they have experienced.

When we visited, Julian proudly introduced us to their newest buck. We watched in awe as the doe instinctively took care of him.

Christina and Julian turned to us and said, “We promise to keep the goats as our business to help our life. We are so grateful.”