It's called the Sheep Bank. That might sound strange, but it works like this:

. 1. We provide funds to the local government in one region to buy 300 ewes in Year 1 and in each of the next three years.

. 2. The local government allocates 30 of these sheep to 10 herdsmen and their families (or 20 sheep to 15 herdsmen) per year - depending on need. This is free of charge.

. 3. By Year 4, the herds will have multiplied sufficiently for the herdsman to pay back half of the number of sheep he was given. He does not give back the original ewes, but half the ewes who are mature enough to breed in the next season.

. 4. In Year 5, the herdsman pays back the other half of his debt in breeding ewes. The sheep bank thus has another 300 fresh ewes to give to other herdsmen in need.

. Both the herdsmen and the fund become completely self-sufficient.

But does it work?

. Yes! It is in the interests of the herdsman to build his flocks as quickly as possible. 30 ewes can produce at least 25 lambs per year, even allowing for losses. After three years, up to 75 extra sheep (35 of them ewes) could be added to a flock. To find 15 healthy ewes from this production is not difficult. To find a further 15 in the following year is no more difficult. .