This week Heifer’s Board of Directors is in town for one of several meetings we have through out the year. As I present to Board this afternoon, I will use a few examples of the families and individuals I have met.
Photograph by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International
I wanted to share one story in particular with you. Dolores Delgado is an incredible woman from Peru. For those that follow Heifer’s blog, her name should be familiar to you as we have mentioned her in a story we did last August titled Allin Kausay, and we also shared her story in the blog post, Heifer Supports Healthy Soil. My dear friend Betty Londergan also had the opportunity to meet Dolores in her visit to Peru, and wrote about her experience in her blog, Heifer 12 x 12, Guinea Pigs…not just for Breakfast Anymore.
I met Dolores last summer when I had the opportunity to travel to Peru and Ecuador to visit some of our projects. I’m always so impressed with the energy and drive of our participants, but Dolores in particular, really amazed me. For her it wasn’t “enough” to just improve the life of her family – it was important to also serve her community.
I love that attitude, I love that desire to DO MORE.
Photograph by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International
Just to provide you some background, Dolores has a small farm and is the “go-to” person for guinea pigs in her community. She has been a part of the “Allin Kausay” project. This particular project has been making great strides in promoting community development.
At the time of my visit, Dolores had a small shed that allowed her to produce, at maximum, 500 guinea pigs. As my visit came to a close, Dolores and I were talking about her plans for her farm, for the project and for her life. Dolores promised me that in one year she would build a structure that would hold more than double the amount of guinea pigs. I told her that if she met her promise, I would be back to Peru to see.
In October of 2011, Dolores and her husband began the work of constructing a new home for the guinea pigs. Dolores wanted to make sure that the guinea pigs would be housed where they had “enough space to not suffer or become ill.” The new structure was completed in January 2012 – Dolores doesn’t take her goals lightly! Her new structure has the potential to hold up to 2,500 guinea pigs in a warm, clean and wider environment.
Photograph by Heifer Peru, courtesy of Heifer International
In addition to making improvements on her farm for the guinea pigs, Dolores is embodying the spirit of Passing on the Gift by sharing her knowledge with her friends, neighbors and visitors. She uses her structure to host trainings, demonstrating hands on techniques that she has learned, including animal health care.
But don’t think that Dolores doesn’t have her hands on other projects. In addition to raising and selling the guinea pigs, working and training the community, she also tends to her organic farm. Oh but wait, there’s more!
Dolores’ family home has become a model of healthy living in their community. Many of her neighbors have repainted their homes and have recovered the tradition of decorating their walls with clays of different colors, thus drawing the attention of visitors.
Photograph by Heifer Peru, courtesy of Heifer International
Photograph by Heifer Peru, courtesy of Heifer International
The families that have initiated the changes to their homes (including Dolores) share a vision of one day having their community be a potential site for ecotourism visits. They want others to see, first hand, what its like to be a part of a community that is able to balance people, livestock, crop and agroecological production.
Photograph by Heifer Peru, courtesy of Heifer International
I am proud to have met Dolores and she has truly had an impact on my life. Dolores is the type of person who we should all strive to be – it is not just about us; we are part of a larger system. We are all connected.
For Dolores, participating in this project is a “dream come true” for her and her family. Dolores demonstrates that we can all be change-agents. We just have to be committed to our cause.
I have not forgotten my end of the bargain – I will make it back to Peru one day to see all that Dolores has accomplished. Until then, I will challenge myself (and you) to DO MORE!
For more information on the work in Peru, visit their website: http://www.heiferperu.org, or follow Heifer Peru on Facebook.
I often see myself as a cheerleader and promoter of everything Arkansas. I think we have a fabulous state and so much to show off. Recently, I had a friend of mine, and our Master Gardener tour guide in Costa Rica here for a visit. I had a great time taking him across the state and sharing with him the fabulous wonders we have—giving him ideas for ecotourism, small farming and giving him a better understanding of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and Master Gardener program. One thing that I often think is not well appreciated or understood is Heifer International. I thought this was a great opportunity for Maguil to understand what Heifer had to offer, plus look at a potential connection between Heifer and Costa Rica. I think there is much that Heifer could do to help there.
I knew the former CEO and former PR person, but they are both retired so I decided to look for a new connection. I looked Heifer International up on the website to figure out who I should connect with to have a discourse and get something started. I found a phone number and called. I was passed around and around, and everyone kept telling me to just show up and have a volunteer give us the tour. They were not too interested in talking to me or anyone from another country. I asked how we could go about starting a program in Costa Rica, and was told they weren’t taking on anything new at this time. I hoped this was wrong, and today we showed up at Heifer, and we had a wonderful volunteer who showed us all Heifer had to offer. She said Heifer International didn’t’ go to countries asking to help, but they waited for countries or people to come asking themselves. Well, Costa Rica came asking in the form of Maguil, and they couldn’t find anyone to talk to him. We were told how Heifer International could help with animals, infrastructure, education, and on and on, but when we asked who we could talk to about connecting Costa Rica—even at a later date, not a soul knew. They called around , and they weren’t sure who to talk to so gave us some magazines, called around again with no results, gave us a 20 minute tour on the fabulous Leed Certified Green building and all they were doing around the world, but when it came to making personal connections, that just didn’t happen. As we were leaving in the car, Maguil thought the concept sounded good but obviously wasn’t something that could help Costa Rica or anyone like him. Two of the volunteers tried to help, but not a soul from the staff even seemed remotely interested. How sad and embarrassing for Arkansas.
What is Heifer Internation Headquarters about? Just a showcase to say what a great job they are doing, how to build a green building, plant native plants, recyle water, or an entity that can help, or at least talk to someone in need. I travel quite a bit, and have often been amazed by how few people know about Heifer International and all that they have to offer, but today, I got a picture of why that may be.
Janet Carson
Extension Horticulture Specialist
Thank you for taking the time to write telling us of your recent visit to Heifer International’s headquarters.
To follow up on your first concern regarding connecting Heifer and Costa Rica, the volunteer was correct. At this time Heifer is not working in Costa Rica. Prior to the downturn in the economy, the Heifer Americas program was looking into expanding into additional countries beyond the 12 where we are currently working. However, after the economic shift, we had to reevaluate our priorities. As you know funding is limited. Heifer would love to be able to help every single community; however, we must work to ensure that we use our limited resources in and where most effective to assist the most number of families.
Ms. Carson, I apologize you were not able to speak to any of our staff members. I am not sure of the specific circumstances during your visit, but I will share your comments with the appropriate teams. I would also recommend calling ahead and making an appointment. This ensures that the appropriate person is available to answer any questions that you might have.
Thank you for taking the time to visit Heifer International. Please allow me to assure you that we are not here to showcase our own talents – but to work to assist limited-resource farmers around the globe. We are extremely grateful to know that we do not have to do this alone – and that you and others join us in our cause.