Goats as Talents: How One Animal Becomes a Family’s Pathway Out of Poverty
If you’re a Christian, you likely know all about the Parable of the Talents. It’s a parable about self-reliance and self-determination. Hard work yields success. Matthew 25:14-30. That very principle is on display in Tanzania right now and in this real-life version, the talents are actually… GOATS.
For nearly two decades, Kerrie Holschbach has been transforming lives in rural Tanzania with one of the most quietly revolutionary poverty-breaking models in the world—built not on handouts, but on goats, gardens, and the gospel. And this Christmas season, her organization Food For His Children is facing the most urgent moment in its 17-year history.
What began with a single visit to a Tanzanian family in 2005 has become a movement of dignity, discipleship, and sustainable change impacting more than 4,600 people across 63 communities. Kerrie’s team equips families with dairy goat micro-loans, vertical gardens, veterinary care, entrepreneurship training, clean-water programs, home health coaching, and spiritual support. The outcome is one of the most effective, low-cost models for lifting families out of generational poverty—and it’s working even in one of the hardest economic years Tanzania has faced.
Right now, protests in Tanzania have driven tourism down and food prices up. Families who were already on the edge now stand at a breaking point. And despite the growing need, Food For His Children is experiencing its most challenging financial year since its founding in 2008. That tension—surging demand, falling support, and a model proven to multiply impact—makes this the most critical moment to tell Kerrie’s story.
From a mother of twelve who now leads her community… to a prayer partnership between a Minnesota woman and a Tanzanian mom that changed both of their lives… to youth entrepreneurs learning to build thriving businesses from almost nothing… the stories coming out of FFHC aren’t soft human-interest pieces—they are staggering portraits of resilience and grace.
And Americans are hungry for exactly this kind of hope. During a giving season marked by global unrest and financial strain, audiences are searching for causes that don’t just tug at the heart but demonstrate real, measurable transformation. Kerrie can speak powerfully to why a single dairy goat can change the trajectory of an entire family and how restoring the “Four Broken Relationships” offers a biblical, practical blueprint for ending poverty.
Kerrie Holschbach is available for interviews, along with Tanzanian program leaders and families whose lives have been transformed. Video and photos available.
Relevant Article(s)
Matthew 25: 14-30 NRSVCE – The Parable of the Talents – “For it – Bible Gateway
OPTIONAL Q&A:
- How did a single encounter in Tanzania 20 years ago become a full-scale ministry transforming entire communities?
- What makes a dairy goat such a powerful catalyst for long-term, generational change in rural families?
- How are rising food prices and recent unrest in Tanzania affecting the families you serve right now?
- Why is this the most financially challenging year Food For His Children has ever faced?
- How does your model differ from traditional charity, and why does empowerment matter more than handouts?
- What does restoring the “Four Broken Relationships” look like in practice for the families you mentor?
- How have American partners and Tanzanian families experienced mutual transformation through your programs?
- What impact are you seeing among youth who graduate from your entrepreneurship and training initiatives?
ABOUT KERRIE HOLSCHBACH…
Kerrie Holschbach is the Founder and Executive Director of Food for His Children, a Christian nonprofit serving families in rural Tanzania. A licensed social worker and pastor, Kerrie has dedicated more than three decades to empowering vulnerable populations and restoring dignity where it has been stripped away.
Beginning her career in 1991, Kerrie worked with individuals experiencing severe mental illnesses, traumatic brain injuries, incarceration, homelessness, and generational poverty. Her early work shaped her deep understanding of trauma, secondary trauma, resilience, and the transformative power of supportive relationships.
Her life shifted in 2005, when she first traveled to Tanzania and met a family whose daily struggle and faith moved her profoundly. This encounter became the foundation for Food for His Children, which she launched in 2008. For nearly twenty years, Kerrie has returned to Tanzania repeatedly, building relationships and guiding long-term community development grounded in faith, dignity, and sustainability.
Today, Food for His Children serves over 700 families across 14 project sites and 63 communities, integrating discipleship with climate-smart agriculture, WASH, goat farming, business training, and one-on-one coaching. Kerrie’s leadership blends compassionate pastoral care with the practical skill set of a seasoned social worker, emphasizing trauma-informed practices, secondary trauma awareness, and the complexities of multidimensional poverty.
Kerrie frequently speaks on:
- Poverty alleviation & sustainable community development
- Trauma-informed care & secondary trauma among caregivers and communities
- Multidimensional poverty and its spiritual, relational, and economic impacts
- Restoring the four broken relationships (God, self, others, creation)
- Climate-smart agriculture and innovative solutions for rural families
- Faith-driven leadership and discipleship in global missions
Kerrie is known for her unwavering belief that families can rise out of poverty when given opportunity, support, and someone who believes in their God-given potential. Through her leadership, FFHC continues to empower families, lift communities, and shine Jesus’ love in some of the most remote areas of Tanzania.
TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW, CALL OR TEXT 512-966-0983 OR EMAIL BOOKINGS@SPECIALGUESTS.COM
Goat or GOAT? One is bad and one is the greatest.
Don’t be a goat in Tanzania. Be a GOAT.
