 |
|
ZAKI BOU FARHAT - MARJAYOUN, LEBANON |
An organic experience...
Zaki and his wife have been raising cattle for the past 20 years in a village
located near Marjayoun in Southern Lebanon. Zaki wanted to expand his herd, so with the help of the Ameen individual
loan, he managed to buy more cows, a few of them already pregnant and about to deliver. He succeeded in having a
herd comprising of 12 cows and used their milk for personal and commercial use. With the help of three family members,
Zaki and his wife are selling part of the milk produced and transforming the remaining part into dairy products.
Zaki's wife is very careful not to include any preservatives in their products and imposes strict quality
standards. They managed to sell their products in Beirut, the capital, marketing them as organic and
preservative-free products since even the herd feeds itself on the natural plains of the South. In two years,
Zaki has paid off both the loans he subscribed to: the first one for $1000 and the second one for $1500. He was
also able to insure more financial security for his widowed daughter and her child. He planned on buying a car so
that he can distribute his products to other neighboring villages near the Lebanese borders. Unfortunately, due to
the recent events of summer 2006 in Lebanon, all his herd was killed by a bombing and his house was partly
demolished. Nonetheless Zaki is moving forward and today he reformed a part of his herd. |
 |
 |
| |
