A family building a livelihood of their own with CBB Canada's support
Why Livelihood

The best gift you can give isn't a meal. It's a way to earn one.

Weathered hands cradling a young seedling, with a busy local market behind — a small start that grows

700M

people live in extreme poverty

2 in 3

could get back on their feet with a small start

Emergency aid keeps a family alive today. But nobody wants to live on handouts. Families in poverty want to earn their own way, and what stands between a household that struggles and one that does well is rarely hard work. It's opportunity. One asset that earns, and the know-how to make it grow.

CBB Canada sits down with each family to find that one right thing. A pair of dairy goats. A season of drought-resistant seeds. A tailoring kit, training in a trade, or a small grant to open a shop. We pick it together, match it to the local market, and stay close with mentoring so it actually works.

Then it builds, quietly, over years. A goat becomes a herd. A stall becomes a shop. School fees get paid, meals stop being skipped, and a parent who once needed help ends up hiring the neighbours.

Give someone a fish and you feed them for a day; teach them to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.
An old truth that still guides our work
Giving Levels

Pick the gift that keeps on earning.

Every level is fully tax-receipted in Canada. Give once to seed a livelihood, or monthly to walk with a family through that first year.

Every Livelihood Matters

Your gift helps a family earn a steady income of their own, with dignity.

Custom amount
Auto RickshawMost chosen

$1,200

Auto Rickshaw

A three-wheeler of their own, so a driver earns daily fares instead of renting one — a steady income from day one.

Donate $1,200
Two Dairy Cows

$2,000

Two Dairy Cows

Two milking cows that bring in daily income from milk, with calves that grow the herd and the family's earnings year on year.

Donate $2,000
A Tea Stall

$3,000

A Tea Stall

A stocked tea stall with kettle, supplies and a spot to trade, so a family can run their own small business and earn every day.

Donate $3,000
How it works

One asset, turned into a lasting income.

We don't drop off a goat and drive away. Our four steps are built so the income keeps growing long after we've gone.

  1. Step 01

    Assess

    We sit with each family to learn their skills, their market and what they're aiming for, then pick the asset most likely to thrive right there.

  2. Step 02

    Equip

    We hand over the right tools, livestock, seeds or starter grant, bought locally so the money stays in the community.

  3. Step 03

    Train

    Hands-on coaching in the trade or business, from caring for animals to keeping the books, so the family knows what they're doing.

  4. Step 04

    Grow

    Local mentors keep checking in through that first year, helping families reinvest what they earn and ride out the rough patches.

Common Questions

Questions we hear a lot.

How do you decide what each family gets?
There's no standard package. Our local teams look at what skills a family already has, what the market nearby will support and what they want for themselves, then choose the asset most likely to bring in steady income in that exact spot.
What if the business or the livestock doesn't make it?
It rarely comes to that, because every family has a mentor alongside them for at least the first year. When something goes wrong, like a sick animal or a bad season, that support helps them recover and adjust instead of starting from scratch.
Are my donations tax-deductible?
Yes. CBB Canada is a registered Canadian charity and issues official tax receipts for all eligible donations made within Canada.
Does this gift only help one family?
It tends to reach further. Animals breed, businesses take on staff, and plenty of families pass on offspring or skills to a neighbour, so one gift often gets several livelihoods going over time.
Related Programs

More ways to help people who need it.

Humanity Knows No Borders

A little goes a long way.

Your gift becomes clean water, a meal, a classroom. Join thousands of people helping families get back on their feet, wherever the need is greatest.