Poor farmer families receive young female cows as a loan. The families in this ''1st client generation'' are selected in a participatory process among the local poor. Supported by a local veterinarian, the family will raise the cow and use it for farming work as well as for the production of fertilizer. When the cow gives birth to the first female calf, this calf will be raised by the family until it is 6 – 8 months old. At this age, the calf is returned to the Cow Bank in order to be given to the next poor family (''2nd client generation''). The loan cycle (30 - 36 months) starts again. Once a client has paid back a suitable female calf, the first cow and all further calves become property of the client family.
In some locations, the project clients form village groups who support each other and manage project related issues together.
Through the ongoing loan cycle, more and more poor families will be provided with the opportunity to raise a cow and hence eventually find a way out of poverty.
