Author Archives: Allison Stephens

About Allison Stephens

Allison began working for Heifer International in 2011 in Public Relations and is also a Public Affairs Officer in the Air Force Reserve. She graduated from Penn State University with a degree in communications. She is married, mother to baby "E" and proud bonus mother to a 13 year-old daughter.

Meeting a ‘Rock Star’ of the Development Kind

Posted on by
0
Dr. Raj Shah, USAID Administrator, reviews Heifer Village's integrated farming model. He was escorted by Pietro Turilli, Vice President for Partnerships and Business Development and Elizabeth Bintliff, Vice President for Africa Program

Dr. Raj Shah, USAID Administrator, reviews Heifer Village’s integrated farming model. He was escorted by Pietro Turilli, Vice President for Partnerships and Business Development and Elizabeth Bintliff, Vice President for Africa Program

Rock stars are in the eye of the beholder, and last week week I met a rock star of the development kind when Dr. Rajiv Shah,  Administrator to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), came to visit Heifer Village. Dr. Shah, although he informally goes by Raj, was visiting Little Rock at the invitation of U.S. Senator John Boozman. When greeting him, I noticed three immediate attributes: He has 1) a warm smile, 2) a very firm handshake and 3) a deep and unabashed commitment to ending hunger and eradicating extreme poverty.

Raj Shah, USAID Administrator, holds weighted water buckets used to demonstrate to Heifer Village visitors the heavy burden of fetching water daily.

Raj Shah, USAID Administrator, holds weighted water buckets used to demonstrate to Heifer Village visitors the heavy burden of fetching water daily.

As he toured Heifer Village, he was sincerely impressed with the interactive and informative exhibits created to be interesting and dynamic for visitors of all ages. He even remarked that an exhibit like ours would make for a welcome addition the USAID headquarters in Washington D.C. (imitation, they say, is the most sincere form of flattery).

An hour after his time at Heifer Village I sat in the second row for his lecture at the Clinton School of Public Service, where he again focused on the “achievable” task of eradicating extreme hunger and poverty, but that “we must speed up the transition from dependence to self-reliance.”

I’ve only recently become aware of Dr. Shah and his impressive resume, but in his short tenure at USAID he has established an important and impactful partnership between private and public investors leveraging many billions of dollars transforming the lives of many with regard to better nutrition, sustainable development and health education.  I believe Dr. Shah when he states that the partnership aspect is imperative to successfully ending hunger and extreme poverty — its a partnership that involves us all from business, to donors, to non-profits to participants, we each have a role to play.

 

 

Pin It

Heifer Cambodia Participants Are Finalists for “Half the Sky” Award

Posted on by
0

 

Ley Savorn, Heifer Cambodia, teaches women in a self help group. She is a finalist for the Half the Sky Movement Students Rebuild Award.
Ley Savorn, Heifer Cambodia, teaches women in a self help group. She is a finalist for the Half the Sky Movement Students Rebuild Award.

Heifer International is delighted that two of our project participants, Ley Savorn and Krouch Souk, from Cambodia, have been chosen as finalists for the Half the Sky Movement Students Rebuild Award.

Both these young women are committed to improving and transforming the lives of others in their area. Now they NEED your vote! Please visit http://studentsrebuild.org/awards/vote to help them win $10, 000 so they may continue empowering women and girls in their communities.

Krouch Souk, from Heifer Cambodia, works to train community members about finances and literacy. She is a finalist for the Half the Sky Movement Students Rebuild Award.

Krouch Souk, from Heifer Cambodia, works to train community members about finances and literacy. She is a finalist for the Half the Sky Movement Students Rebuild Award.

I encourage you to view and vote all the remarkable award finalists from Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Somaliland, India and Kenya today through Friday, March 8th.

The judging panel includes America Ferrera, Olivia Wilde, Eileen Fisher, Jeffrey Sachs, Zainab Salbi, Sheryl WuDunn, Maggie Doyne and campus ambassador Shomira Sanyal of India.

Pin It

New Year’s Resolution — Help Heifer International as a Monthly Donor

Posted on by
0

As many mark the beginning of a new year by making resolutions, setting goals and starting with a fresh outlook for the 12 months ahead, we at Heifer International are doing the same. Our mission is to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth and this year we want to help more families move from poverty to prosperity. I invite you to join us in this pursuit by considering joining our Friends of Heifer program.

Mrs. Tiaku Glory, her daughter Tiaku Precious and their goat. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

The Friends of Heifer program allows donors to contribute monthly with an automatic withdrawal from a checking account or credit card. Monthly donations help Heifer International have predictable and consistent resources needed to plan and implement Heifer’s transformative model, assisting more families to improve their lives.

A gift of $10 per month would equal a goat by year’s end, or $50 would equal five pigs, and each are part of Passing on the Gift® where families donate an offspring of the animal to another community member. Heifer’s gift of animals and training provide valuable skills and income for families to better take care of their homes, children and future.

Mrs. Glory (pictured left) said, “Education is important for all of my children because the world is changing and education allows them to change with it.”

I hope you will begin your new year with a commitment to make the world a better and more prosperous place for another in need every month. To learn more visit www.heifer.org/give/monthly-giving.

Pin It

Heifer International Shares Gift of Reading

Posted on by
0

Heifer International and the Alex Foundation, a nonprofit offering free academic assistance, scholarships and educational resources to disadvantaged children, partnered to distribute 5,000 books to organizations serving low income children in Arkansas and Tennessee. Volunteers in each of the schools, including Janis Kearney, author and presidential historian, read to the children before handing out books to each child.

Heifer International

Students from Westwood Elementary in Fairview, Tennessee, received "The Chicken and the Worm." Photo courtesy of the Alex Foundation.

“At Heifer International, we recognize the importance and necessity of literacy for all family members, especially children. We hope the kids receiving the books find their stories compelling and entertaining,” said Tim Newman, Director of Education Program Development.

The title of the books donated are The Chicken and the Worm for Pre K-K grades and Winter in Songming for 3rd and 4th graders.

Wyndolyn Smith, an Alex Foundation board member said, “The Alex Foundation is delighted to be a distribution channel to help Heifer give the gift that keeps on giving. Access to free books and reading are pathways to a better and more educated world.”

Pin It

Treat Them to Trees

Posted on by
2

This time of year when so many of us are talking about trees — which one to buy, how does it smell, what happens if my dog eats the branches — we should all take a minute to say “thank you” to the life of a tree and the environmental protection they provide.

Trees for environmental protection

Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee, courtesy of Heifer International.

Trees are essential to life on Earth. Heifer recognizes their simple yet extraordinary virtues and gives many varieties of trees and saplings including acacia, fodder, forest and fruit to families in the communities where we work. And trees seedlings are Passed On to other families ensuring the sustainable cycle that’s key to Heifer’s development model.

Did you know?

  • Trees breathe out oxygen and breathe in carbon dioxide.
  • Trees hold water in the soil and moisture in the air.
  • Trees provide food and medicines for birds, animals and people.
  • Fast-growing trees put nitrogen back in the soil, serve as windbreaks and provide fodder, fencing, firewood and fruit.
  • Multi-purpose trees that families plant along the contours of hillside plots and between rows of crops can provide shade for animals and high-protein fodder.
So as a “thank you” to trees for how much they give us,  I’m gifting trees to my friends and family this holiday season. Hope they breathe a little better.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

This holiday season, give trees for your loved ones dedicated to environmental protection.

This post is part of our What to Give series, where we’re helping you choose the best Heifer gift for your loved ones. Read previous What to Give posts here, and subscribe to the What to Give series here.

Still don’t know what to give? Visit our full catalog page here.

Pin It

Heifer Village Hosts Special Visitors

Posted on by
0

Yesterday Heifer Village hosted a session of “Experience America,” a State Department program designed to introduce members of the Diplomatic Corps and their spouses to U.S. cities to cultivate relationships and promote partnership opportunities. The spouses arrived at Heifer Village and were greeted by Heifer International President and CEO, Pierre Ferrari along with some friends of the animal variety from nearby Heifer Ranch.

Heifer Village Hosts Foreign Ambassadors

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Heifer Village Hosts Foreign Ambassadors

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

The more than 40 attendees listened to Ferrari’s overview of Heifer’s project work, then the group self-selected to learn more about projects organized by area programs –  Central and Eastern Europe, Asia/South Pacific, Africa, and the Americas.

In addition to Heifer Village, the group visited the Clinton Presidential Center, the Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock Central High School and the Governor’s mansion. The group’s two-day visit also includes a trip to Fayetteville to tour the University of Arkansas’ facilities, explore Crystal Bridges Museum of Art and meet with local and regional business representatives.

According to the State Department website:

In bringing these distinguished diplomats to “The Natural State,” the Office of the Chief of Protocol seeks to strengthen America’s relationships with countries around the world by planting the seeds for new international partnerships and providing our visitors with a deeper understanding of our nation’s people and heritage.

Experience America is organized by the Diplomatic Partnerships Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol, whose mission is to foster international goodwill and cultivate relationships between the Diplomatic Corps and the people and institutions of the United States through an exchange of ideas, cultures, and traditions. This is the eleventh Experience America trip since 2007, and previous destinations include Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, as well as multiple cities in Alaska, California, Florida, Texas, and Wyoming. Since 2009, ambassadors from more than 100 countries have participated in Experience America trips.

While their time at Heifer Village was brief — only about 60 mins — we were honored to host this very special group of international visitors to educate them about Heifer’s work and the great city of Little Rock.

Pin It

Half the Sky Part 2: Talent and Opportunity

Posted on by
0

This post is a continuation of my reflections on the documentary, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. You can read my thoughts on the first half here.

Half the Sky

During the second half of Half the Sky, there were two stories that made me realize how important education and leadership are for women globally. When woman are provided with opportunity, they do not just lift themselves out of poverty, but they also lift their entire families out of poverty as well.

The documentary travels to India, where 90 percent of sex workers’ daughters also follow in their footsteps. When a woman was asked why she didn’t send her daughter away for an education, the woman replied, “Because my daughter would be smarter than I am, and judge me.” The daughter herself was afraid of her fate because she knew that her appearance would fetch a high price in that community if she were sold. All the young girl wanted was a chance at something else in life.

After India, Half the Sky visited a female village in Kenya where they have learned to build their own school, become business leaders, and make their own decisions with what little resources they have been able to find. As we meet a woman who owns an oil business in her community she said, “What I learned, I did not keep to myself. I shared it.” Though she was not part of a Heifer project, it really stuck with me that Heifer’s Cornerstone of Passing on the Gift should be shared for all of us.

At Heifer International, we help lift women and their communities out of hunger and poverty using the our 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development, which include: Training and Education, Gender and Family Focus, and Full Participation.

The fastest way to make a difference is to invest in women globally. By providing education, leadership and resources to women in need, they will do what it takes to help their families. As Nicholas Kristoff said last night, “In this world, talent is universal but opportunity is not.”

Did you watch either or both parts of Half the Sky? Tell me in the comments section below what you thought about it.

Did you miss it but want to watch it? Watch Part I (available online until October 8).

Watch Part II (available until October 9).

Pin It

Half the Sky Part 1: Everyone Can Help

Posted on by
0

Watching the Half the Sky documentary last night, I felt equal parts stunned and electrified by the heroic and harrowing stories featured. I was especially humbled at the humanity of our global society. We are all so connected, no matter how different our stories and circumstances.

Watch Half the Sky

When Eva Mendes, traveling on behalf of the International Rescue Committee, asked a 14-year-old survivor of sexual assault to chose which necklace she liked better, I was concerned that the gift would be greeted as a westerner trying to “buy” the young girl’s affections. But as Ms. Mendes reached out to her, offering her the necklace the young girl chose, she stated: when you wear this, you pray for me; when I wear this (the necklace kept), I’ll pray for you.

This powerfully sweet message reminded me that we can be connected for a lifetime even if our paths cross only for a few minutes.

I sympathize with many who will say the problems are too great and the solutions too complicated.  We have all experienced the feelings of futility, and that is why I really identified with the quote from Somaly Mam.

She said, “Everyone can help. Everyone can do one thing, start by your heart.”

As an employee of Heifer International, I’m fortunate that I work for a development organization I so firmly believe in with my head and my heart.  And I’m proud that Heifer’s model of development encourages partnerships with other nonprofits and agencies, especially at the in-country project level. Collectively, we can have exponentially greater impact and positive change than if we work solely on our own.

I will be tuning in tonight for the second part of Half the Sky with tissues in hand and a hopeful heart ready to learn about the work happening with Save the Children in India, the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Somaliland and Umoja Women’s Village in Kenya.

Did you catch the first installment of Half the Sky last night? Tell us what you thought in the comments below.

If you missed it, catch the second part tonight on you local PBS station at 9 p.m. EST.

Follow the live chat during tonight’s broadcast here.

Pin It

Behind the Scenes at Heifer International’s Beyond Hunger Event

Posted on by
1

Last Friday evening, Heifer International hosted its first ever Beyond Hunger event. I attended to provide support as Heifer’s PR manager, and I’d like to give you an insider’s view of the night. Stay tuned later this week for video clips of the evening’s highlights. Photos courtesy of Heifer International.

Ted Danson and Mary SteenburgenLiving the Hollywood event was a bit of a blur – the stars walking the “green” carpet, the reporters asking questions, ladies posing in pretty dresses (and high heels) for the cameras, and then me, decidedly unglamorous, there with a head set not so discreetly attached to my dress. My job was to prep, escort and in some cases stall our celebrity guests as they taped a short video public service announcement for Heifer International. I’m happy to report all the stars gladly sang our praises and gave personal accounts of how and why Heifer resonates with them.

Once the dinner got started, so did the speeches. All were impressive, but I was most in awe of Heifer’s own Beatrice Biira. I’ve read Beatrice’s Goat many times, but hearing her tell the story of receiving a goat at age 9, in her own words, her own voice, describing her dreams of going to school to learn that “funny” language they speak (she was referring to English) was truly mesmerizing. She spoke about her parents not having enough money to see a doctor for malaria medication and that having the $20.00 needed to pay for a semester of school would have been a luxury. That all changed when a goat, Mugisa, meaning “blessing,” came to her family, providing her with nutritious milk and means to make money by selling the surplus.

Beatrice Biira

She ended her speech stating that is was with humble gratitude that she thanked Heifer donors for their support allowing her to be a success story. Her speech was so emotionally inspiring that Mechad Brooks, turned to me and said, “I want to go on a trip with Heifer.”

We were fortunate to have videos from the Most Reverend Desmond Tutu and President Bill Clinton praising Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson, honorees of the evening and recipients of the FIRST Noble Globe, for their commitment and dedication to Heifer’s mission.

 

 

 

Colbie CaillatThe most entertaining part of the evening was the performance by Colbie Calliat. As she addressed the crowd, she admitted she had only recently been introduced to Heifer International, but because of Beatrice Biira’s story she was inspired and impressed by Heifer’s impact on communities. She rocked the room and brought the crowd to their dancing feet with her hit “Brighter Than The Sun.”

At the end of the night I felt proud of the work that went into the event by the entire team (those present and those in Little Rock) and thankful to be part of an organization that seeks to empower women and transform lives for generations to come.

Pin It

My “Ride Along” with Donor Services rep

Posted on by
0
Watching Tiffany (Katz) navigate the computer system, managing both the queue, e-mail, chat rooms while talking to me at the same time was impressive until I witnessed her take a call and then I was without words. In my estimation, those who work in donor service reps are the heart of our organization in as much as every call they field makes a connection to the donor in a very tangible, emotional and often deeply moving way. 
There was barely time to go over the rules or what to expect when the first call came and we were off. She adeptly handled Donald with a browser issue regarding honor cards, immediately she was able to walk him through options, find a solution and thank him for his support.
There is supposed to be 20 seconds between calls but it felt more like five before the next one rolled in and so it was for the next hour. In total there were 8 calls in that sixty minutes, each very different but with a similar rhythm. One man, an older gentleman from Alaska, brought tears to my eyes when he said “I wish I could do more”, while another asked to be removed from our mailing list for his own reasons. One made a donation in the name of a celebrity supporter and another made a contribution in honor of her grandchildren. All were handled with kindness, respect and appreciation for the caller and each ended with “Thank you for your support.”
We are all touched by donors either directly or indirectly but this experience was more poignant because in that hour, on the first floor of our headquarters building there are men and women, some full time employees and others season temporary help, that are the “heart” our organization. They answer the phone not knowing what the call will be about or the callers tone but they know they will find an answer for them or at the very least be the link between that donor and the work we are privileged to do all over the globe.
Thank you donor services for letting me tag along if only for an hour … I will always be a big fan of the work you do everyday but especially during the holidays.
Pin It