Why Water Buffalo?

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Annie Bergman

It is truly astounding how each gift of livestock can change the lives of Heifer participants all around the world. I’ve seen it each time I’ve traveled for work. But I’ve never been more impressed than when I saw some water buffalo projects on my trip to Cambodia in 2010.

San Pheap, 12, Sok Phong, 7, and Sieng Hai, 6, on a water buffalo in Chrey Krem, Cambodia.

Imposing creatures to be sure, water buffalo are actually quite gentle and patient (as you can see from the photo above as this animal allowed three little boys to ride on her back). It was really fun to watch Seng Ouy bathe his family’s water buffalo. The animal’s reaction to the bath reminded me a lot of what my basset hound looks like when I put him in the tub to wash him down.

Water buffalo are prized in Cambodia. Often too expensive for smallholder farmers to purchase on their own, water buffalo often serve as “living tractors” for farming families in Southeast Asia. The draft animals can help families plant up to five times more crops than they would be able to plant by hand. And rice planting is backbreaking work.

Seng Ouy, 19, washes the family's water buffalo.

The gentle giants also provide families with milk rich in calcium and protein that can transform malnourished children. Plus, the fats in buffalo milk make it ideal for processing into cheeses that also help build strong bones.

Another benefit families see from water buffalo is manure. Adult water buffalo produce about six tons of manure a year, and for families that have biogas digesters, that manure provides precious methane to power cook stoves and lamps.

Give the gift of a water buffalo today. You’ll be providing a family with a valuable tool that will give them plenty in return.

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? Check out our entire online Gift Catalog.

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Storming the Castle: A Lesson From My Mom

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Chelsey McNiel

The character Miracle Max and his wife Valerie put the chocolate coating on the magic pill. Photo credit: ssava.deviantart.com

One of my favorite childhood movies was “The Princess Bride.” William Goldman’s classic fairytale follows Princess Buttercup and her beloved farm boy, Wesley, as they climb the Cliffs of Insanity, face the perilous Fire Swamp and battle an evil prince all in the name of love.

As conflict builds, Wesley is paralyzed and Princess Buttercup relunctantly agrees to marry the spiteful Prince Humperdinck. Wesley’s enemies, turned companions, seek help from the magician Miracle Max and he revives Wesley with a magical chocolate covered pill.

The heroes then agree to penetrate Humperdincks defenses and rescue Buttercup. While wishing the heroes goodluck, Miracle Max waves and says, “Have fun storming the castle!”

My mom quotes this iconic line often. When I was younger, she would say it when I left for school or to hang out with friends. But over the years, those whimsical words have become more than a fun farewell.

Life is hard. (Overstated yes, but it remains true.) And though life’s battles may not overthrow us, their effects can paralyze the strongest, especially if we choose to fight alone.

My mom is like Miracle Max’s chocolate covered pill. Her sweet nature allows her to teach without saying a word, love despite flared tempers and, forgetting her own grief, provide comfort to a jaded heart. These attributes loosed me when I felt paralyzed and allowed me to storm countless castles.

Mothers worldwide confront the fortress of hunger and poverty every day. Heifer International stands with them as they strive for sustainable income, health care and their children’s education. We at Heifer would like to wish mothers around the globe a happy Mother’s Day, and thank them for the contributions they’ve made to their own families and communities worldwide.

This year, help Heifer brave the walls of injustice with a gift that will be passed on and impact numerous families. This Mother’s Day. Gift Different. Give Heifer.

This Mother’s Day. Gift Different. Give Heifer. Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Give your mom a gift of impact and purpose

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For Mother’s Day, Celebrate the Strength of Mothers Everywhere

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Linda Meyers

This guest post was written by Cathy Sanders, Vice President of Philanthropy for Heifer International.

I feel very fortunate to be a mother. It is the best thing I’ve ever done. My children have made me experience love like I never expected. They are funny, smart, creative, loving and generous little boys. How many mothers around the world feel this way? I’m certain that I am only one of millions of women who live to make sure their children thrive. Even when my patience is at the very end, when they argue with each other or they sigh emphatically and roll their eyes at taking a shower I think how very lucky we are to be able to provide a home for them with plenty of food, access to education and health care and opportunities to build a good life for themselves.

Even in a trying U.S. economy, Americans can’t possibly relate to the realities that most people in the world struggle with every day. As mothers we are also charged with teaching our children how to become independent persons who are kind, generous, loving contributors and citizens of the world.

Photo by Cathy Sanders, courtesy of Heifer International

I had these thoughts in my head on a recent trip to see Heifer’s projects in Nepal. Nepal is a stunningly beautiful country with wise and wonderful people. Poverty there is also staggering. More than 30 percent of Nepalese live below the poverty line of $12 per person per month. Eighty percent of Nepal’s population live in rural areas and depend on subsistence farming. Life is a constant struggle for survival.

One of the most marginalized groups in Nepal is women. Heifer International’s work in Nepal is impressive and very successful. We focus on women’s empowerment and building community where none exists. You may have heard us talk about the 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development before. This training weaves itself through everything done in Nepal and makes the projects sustainable long after Heifer International leaves.

Photo by Cathy Sanders, courtesy of Heifer International

I sat with a group of women in Belsi who were self-help group participants 10 years ago and listened as they told stories about the intense process of learning to work in community and to improve themselves−learning to read and write, learning to run a small business (goats), learning to trust. This work is so complex that it boggles my mind how Heifer has been able to be the spark that brought these women to life.

Even more impressive are these incredible women! Imagine their day: preparing breakfast, taking care of the livestock, cleaning up after breakfast, working in the field or searching for food, preparing lunch, washing clothes, fetching water, taking care of the children and on and on but with none of the luxuries of running water or even access to water, gas cookstove, dishwasher, washing machine, etc. While responsible for all that labor they still had to ask permission from their husbands to participate in training from Heifer International for hours a week. This is an extraordinary amount of extra work. But they did it. They did it because they wanted a better life for their children. Just like us.

On Mother’s Day, we take time to be grateful for the sacrifices of our own mothers. This Mother’s Day let’s also take time to celebrate the sacrifice, strength, courage and wisdom of mothers in Nepal and everywhere where survival is a daily struggle.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

This Mother’s Day Gift Different. Give Heifer.

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Female Farmer Succeeds Through Training

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Chelsey McNiel

Story by John Allen | External Relations Specialist | Heifer South Africa

Constance Masala, her husband and two children live in Musunda village, South Africa. For several years, their village suffered from a serious drought and the family survived month to month on a meager government grant.

A couple years after joining the Khongode Project in 2009, the family received five goats and livestock training from Heifer South Africa. During Heifer’s training, Constance studied basic veterinary care and also trained her children to detect when the animals have fallen ill. Now she can correctly identify common diseases, properly measure medications, vaccinate livestock against diseases and assist during problematic births. She also learned how to protect her goats from baboons and jackals, which plague the village.

Through Heifer’s training, Constance Masala and her children have learned how to properly care for their goats. Photo courtesy of Heifer South Africa

Constance has successfully reared eight more goats from her original five, which have brought joy to the Masala family and other impoverished families through Passing on the Gift® (POG). During a June 14, 2012 POG ceremony, Constance passed on a pregnant goat to project participant Gladys Munzhelele, which allowed Gladys to start a small-scale farming business.

“Our lives have changed,” Constance said. “Every morning my husband and I and the kids go to the kraal to check if the goats slept well.”

This Mother’s Day, help women like Constance improve their livelihoods and provide for their families. Give your mother a gift of purpose and impact. Gift Different. Give Heifer.

This Mother’s Day. Gift Different. Give Heifer. Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Learn how you can help Pass on the Gift®

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Pass on the Gift of Health and Hope This Mother’s Day

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Linda Meyers

If you want to honor your mother with a very special gift this Mother’s Day, consider the gifts that Heifer has to offer. When you give a gift like this, you’re giving something big−something that will touch your mother’s heart and truly make a difference in the lives of others.

What kind of difference? Education. Nutrition. Clean Water. Empowerment.

Christine Akello, 47 years old, with some of the children she cares for in Peya village, Uganda. Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

Take a look at the Infographic below, which lays out a few facts and solutions your Mother’s Day gifts through Heifer could bring.

Women in Sub-Saharan Africa spend about 40 billion hours per year collecting and transporting water. The gift of clean water, irrigation systems, and conservation training can lighten the load and free these mothers to spend more time on other things, like spending time with their children and becoming involved in income-generating activities.

Girls, who suffer most from gender discrimination, are the ones denied the opportunity for education when resources are limited. And children born to educated women are less likely to be stunted or malnourished, so if these girls don’t go to school and become more educated women, the cycle continues. Your Mother’s Day gift provides livestock and training to families to earn more income and pay for all of their children’s school costs, including the girls, breaking the cycle.

Mother's Day Infographic

When you give a gift through Heifer International this Mother’s Day, you’re helping a mother provide better nutrition to her family and education to her children. And it doesn’t end there. The economic success spreads throughout communities, children have more opportunities to thrive and prosper, and women become empowered to work and become self-sufficient.

It’s not just a present, it’s a gift for a better tomorrow.

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Heifer International Gifts Make Unique Mother’s Day Presents

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Kelly MacNeil

Mother’s Day is approaching, and that means it’s time to show our mothers and grandmothers our appreciation for the care they’ve given us. Many people find that a Heifer donation is a very special gift, especially since it will empower mothers around the world trying to support their families.

Mothers everywhere want what is best for their children. That’s why it’s important to honor our moms by extending greater opportunities to women struggling to get by. Simple changes can have huge impacts; women in the developing world could regain 200 million work hours every day if they all had access to clean water in their homes.

Heifer International Mother’s Day gifts like of a flock of chicks, clean water or a healthy home can bring transformative benefits for a family in need. Faith Onyango’s family, for example, was trapped in crushing poverty in a Kenyan village with her husband and three children before Heifer arrived. She was struggling to feed her children and their home was a crumbling mud brick hut.

But then, because of an individual’s donation, Faith received a heifer and training in organic farming from Heifer International. The cow’s manure helped increase the family’s corn harvest fourfold. With their new earnings, Faith sends her children to school and has built a new, safe house. She has now Passed on the Gift of her cow’s first calf to a neighbor.

Mother's Day gift bee

Heifer International provides Mother’s Day gift honor cards that explain to gift recipients the impact a gift of livestock can have for a family in need.

With $1.9 billion spent on Mother’s Day flowers each year, Heifer International believes that donations to help families around the globe are the most meaningful – and impactful – Mother’s Day gifts available.

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Ester: A Mother in the Philippines

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Chelsey McNiel

In December 2012, Typhoon Bopha devastated the Philippines. Families lost their neighbors, homes and livelihoods. Ester, a mother and Heifer Philippines project participant, isn’t sure she will be able to realize her dream of providing a better life for her children than what she had.

Annie Bergman, senior writer for World Ark magazine, shares her story.

This Mother’s Day. Gift Different. Give Heifer. Photo courtesy of Heifer International

This Mother’s Day. Gift Different. Give Heifer.

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Fill Your Easter Basket With Last-Minute Gifts

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Kim Nixon

Are you searching for that last-minute gift to fill your Easter basket? Why not give chicks or rabbits or a goat?

Photo by Olivier Asselin

Through Heifer, the gift of livestock and training can help “hatch hope” with a family living in hunger and poverty. A gift to Heifer is a hand up to a family in need. Along with animals, recipients receive training in animal husbandry, sustainable agriculture, nutrition, gender equity and more. But it doesn’t end there.

By Passing on the Gift®, each Heifer recipient becomes a donor when they pass on the skills and training they’ve received as well as their animal’s first born to another family in need. This cycle of hope lasts long beyond the chocolate and Easter eggs.

Whether you’re filling an Easter basket for a child or an adult, a gift to Heifer is a great way to spread hope this Easter.

Gift Different. Give Heifer.

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This Easter, Gift Different with Heifer

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Maegan Clark

Are you gearing up to fill someone’s Easter basket with candies and other treats? This Easter, consider putting eggs in someone else’s basket and “hatch hope” for a family in need.

Heifer’s infographic illustrates the multiplying power of something as simple as a flock of chicks.

Heifer International’s gifts – at Easter or any time – provide new hope and new life for families in need.

Give different. Give Heifer.

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Pack Their Easter Basket With a Special Treat

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Maegan Clark

This Easter, Heifer is offering families a unique twist on the usual Easter basket goodies of chocolate and plastic eggs – a gift that will change lives. Think about a donation of a flock of chicks, a trio of bunnies or little lamb to love for a family in need — gifts that will bring joy and also lift a family out of poverty.

Easter donations benefit Heifer International participants Take, for example, the story of Teju Thapa, a remarkable woman from a remote village in Nepal. She was the recipient of two nanny (female) goats and a billy (male) goat. In a very short time those three have multiplied into 13 healthy goats. In addition to selling the goat milk she uses the manure and turns it into organic fertilizer for her gardens and fruit trees.

Heifer livestock donations are a unique and heartfelt way to honor the Easter spirit of sharing and caring. Each animal, along with extensive training, is donated to a family in need, providing them with better nutrition and marketable products. As the animals grow and reproduce, the family’s livelihood improves and they become benefactors themselves when they fulfill the commitment to “Pass on the Gift” of their animal’s offspring to another family.

See how you can pack an Easter basket with a special treat this year.

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Heifer Blog

The official blog of Heifer International

Category Archives: [ALT] GIFT

Why Water Buffalo?

Storming the Castle: A Lesson From My Mom

For Mother’s Day, Celebrate the Strength of Mothers Everywhere

Female Farmer Succeeds Through Training

Pass on the Gift of Health and Hope This Mother’s Day

Heifer International Gifts Make Unique Mother’s Day Presents

Ester: A Mother in the Philippines

Fill Your Easter Basket With Last-Minute Gifts

This Easter, Gift Different with Heifer

Give different. Give Heifer.

Pack Their Easter Basket With a Special Treat

See how you can pack an Easter basket with a special treat this year.