Sending Ronnie to Rwanda

This year our partners in Bothar, the Irish livestock aid agency, are celebrating their 25th anniversary with a multi-species livestock shipment to Rwanda.This "Flying Ark" is carrying Irish dairy heifers, dairy goats, pigs, chicks and artificial insemination (AI) straws to Rwanda where their Rwandan partner organisation will use them to kick-start several livestock initiatives.

To mark our long relationship with Bothar, VIVA undertook to fund the transport of the 260 pigs on the "Flying Ark". Our  "Send Ronnie to Rwanda" campaign kicked off in June when we took a stand at the International Pig Veterinary Society (IPVS) congress in the RDS where 3000 pig vets from across the globe had gathered. The IPVS President, Pat Kirwan, led the initiative raising €1,100 over the three days of the congress. Shane McAuliffe (Swine Technical Manager with Interchem Ireland) then partnered with Truly Irish Country Foods (a commercial venture by Irish pig farmers) and with the help of his fellow farmers and colleagues in the industry raised over €11,000 for Ronnie's flight.

On Monday, October 10th, Bothar's "Flying Ark" took off from Shannon Airport for Kigali in Rwanda. The pigs will give struggling Rwandan farmers the keys to a successful business. 130 families will get two pigs each and will then pass on a piglet from the first litter of these animals to another farmer in their community. This ripple effect will continue on long after the project itself ends.

Check out Day 1 of the airlift below