Since 2013, through volunteering during kidding season or following along with the updates about the 4H students, many of our supporters have come to know the East African Refugee Goat Project firsthand. Now the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City is excited to announce that the East African refugee communities who have committed themselves to the project since its inception have assumed ownership of the Goat Project ranch operations under the newly created nonprofit, Utah Refugee Goats (URG).

Members of the board of directors of Utah Refugee Goats (URG) stand outside at the ranch, in the middle of a discussion
A board of directors will oversee the operations of URG and ensure the nonprofit continues to thrive.
Photo: Joshua Lloyd/IRC

A goal since the beginning of the Goat Project’s founding, the Salt Lake Burundian, Somali Bajuni and Somali Bantu refugee communities have officially created an independently operated nonprofit. The URG will be overseen by a board of directors, including a majority of representatives from refugee communities. As a nonprofit operated by and for refugee communities, Ismail Mohamed, a leader of the Somali Bajuni community and URG board member shares that his personal hope since the beginning was to have the whole East African community involved. “Especially our women and seniors to get out with the goats and the fresh air,” he shares. Another major goal behind the Project included earning money for their children’s education. They will continue to reach for these goals through URG.

Through a six-month transition period that started on July 1, URG will work to establish sustainable operations at the goat ranch. Through a supportive partnership during the transition period, the IRC in Salt Lake City will continue to provide administrative and technical assistance, train new URG staff and maintain an interim seat on the URG Board of Directors. Starting in January 2022, IRC will serve as an ongoing project partner.

As the transition continues, the URG’s most urgent objectives are to raise critical funds to sustain the Project, including purchasing hay and medication for the goats, and to welcome volunteers excited to engage with the Project. Volunteer training sessions will occur every Thursday from 6-7pm. As these needs begin to be met, URG will continue to thrive under the collective guidance of the three refugee communities. “The unity [is most important],” Ismail shares. “We have some difficulties here and there, but even if we come from different backgrounds, we can come together and do something as a whole.”

A white goat with brown markings on the head and ears lays on a table and looks at the camera, mountains and the ranch in the background.
Raising goats is a significant part of the Burundian, Somali Bajuni and Somali Bantu cultures.
Photo: Marc Gardner/IRC

Raising goats has remained a cultural tradition of the Burundian, Somali Bajuni and Somali Bantu refugee communities their whole lives. “Back home when I was young, most of us had goats in the yard,” Ismail says. “We grow up and when we open our eyes they are there. Everybody [experiences this]. Everybody raises these animals.”

“The past eight years of working with IRC in growing a herd of goats presented a lot of learning opportunities for the members of our community,” says Jeilani Athman, a leader in the Somali Bajuni community and URG board member. “We believe we have learned, grown, and developed as a community to be ready to take on the project and meet the demand among refugees for a reliable and cost-effective source of goats.”

Learn more about the Utah Refugee Goats nonprofit here. Make sure to follow URG on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on events and ways to support. For general inquires, reach URG at [email protected]