Milk Gone Bad?

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Annie Bergman

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We all know the best way to tell if your expired milk has really soured is to open up the cap and take a not-so-large whiff. But what if the carton changed color when it spoiled, saving your nose from sniffing rotten milk? We may not be too far from that.

A recent article posted on Slate.com and included in their special food issue lays out the cutting edge technology that we can expect to see in food packaging. Don’t spend much time thinking about cutting edge food packaging technology? Me, either, but it’s pretty cool…and kind of scary.

Take, for example, a sensor that can detect when protein begins breaking down that can be found on some seafood packages. Yep. That exists. Or a box of grapefruit juice that actively works to make the juice not as bitter, using nanoparticles. Here’s an excerpt from the article that describes the process:

A team of scientists led by Dr. Joseph Hotchkiss, director of the School of Packaging at Michigan State University, has been trying to use intelligent boxing to improve the taste of grapefruit juice. They’ve “impregnated” the polymers on the inside of grapefruit juice cartons with enzymes that unravel bitter citrus compounds. Basically, these enzymes saw sugar molecules off of the compounds, allowing them to float freely (and sweetly) in the liquid. But the enzymes themselves remain embedded in the carton’s inner lining, so they can’t end up in the newly sugary juice.

If you’re somewhat alarmed, I was too. Nanoparticles in my juice? But here’s the thing, this new kind of packaging doesn’t have to be added directly to the product in order to work. Or so they say.

The article does mention that the FDA doesn’t yet categorize nanoparticles as dangerous, but does indicate that they affect the “identity” of foods.

So what do you think? Would you prefer a label that could talk to you, or do you prefer reading the nutrition information?

The 5 B’s

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Austin Bailey

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I’m wishing there had been a bit more buzz about this being designated Pollinator Week by the U.S. Senate. Here it is already Thursday, leaving just three more days to officially geek out about bees and such until Pollinator Week, always the last week in June, rolls around again in 2013.

There’s plenty to geek out about. The worrisome decline in bee populations over the past few years is putting our food supply at risk. After all, every third bite or sip we take is dependent on pollinators. Butterflies, bats, birds and beetles are pollinators too, but bees do most of the work. There’s actually more than the five B’s, since small mammals, moths and wasps pollinate, too.

Still, we can be hopeful that pollinator-dependent food crops (coffee, chocolate, melons, apples, pears, peaches, vanilla, etc.–pretty much everything) will make it. Hives of entomologists are working on the mysterious colony collapse disorder, the term used to describe the unexplained disappearance of an alarming number of honeybees in North America and Europe. And perhaps it’s a good sign that New York City is suddenly finding itself with more bees than it can handle.

Factoids abound at the Pollinator Partnership website, which is up year-round. The niftiest feature is a tool that lets you enter your zip code to find out what you should plant in your yard to promote pollinator health.

Heifer CEO in Nepal: First Steps into Sustainability

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Puja Singh

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On his first day in Nepal, Heifer International President and CEO Pierre Ferrari found himself among a group of withdrawn yet excited women in an unused classroom in the village of Kabilash in Chitwan district, a jostling 45-minute drive uphill on a dirt track that was patched up from recent landslides especially for his visit. The ethnic tribal women spoke of the challenges of and their aspirations for Heifer’s signature project, of which they were going to be a part. This was a first for Ferrari. Having traveled through Nepal in February 2011 and having heard about the country’s achievements in implementing transformational projects ever since he joined Heifer, Ferrari was more accustomed to strong women displaying confidence. “It validated the time and money we put into trainings to build the social capital to strengthen and transform women,” said Ferrari.

The women in Kabilash are part of a groundbreaking effort in Nepal that will scale up Heifer’s work to end poverty and hunger by increasing goat and milk production by helping women farmers increase production and enabling them to take part in the value chain through cooperatives formed and led by women. The overarching goal of the project, reducing importation of live goats and milk, will increase income for smallholder farmers through increased production and participation in the value chain, which will ensure that they get a fair share of the profits.

Heifer’s plan in this beautiful but resource-poor community is to establish sustainable partnerships with the local government, which is a co-funder of the project. “Our five-year plan consists of improving livestock and agriculture to help the people of this village escape poverty,” said Village Development Committee Secretary Pradhumna Khadka. “So when Heifer came to me with an opportunity to partner, I accepted it without any reservations.”

This is a partnership that works for all. Because after Heifer completes its work in Kabilash, it can be assured that the impacts will be exponential. “By this time, Heifer will have strengthened the farmers, the cooperative they form, and the agents of development, the government organizations, who are there to stay,” said Parbati Rawal, executive director of SRAM, a Heifer local partner NGO that will implement the project in Kabilash.

Heifer Nepal is geared up to implement similar projects in 28 districts of Nepal in the next five—an ambitious plan that has already been able to seek support in forms of resource leverage and collaborative partnerships from the national and local government and other development agencies.

Poverty in the U.S.: The Stories You Don’t Hear

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Annie Bergman

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The home page for Bus 52 where you can keep track of where the bus is going and view the videos of where they've been.

It’s easy to become mired in hunger and poverty statistics. As people the world over struggle with economic stagnation, and more and more people slip below the poverty line, it’s not often that stories of hope and happiness make the airwaves. So I was particularly struck by a story I saw on The Huffington Post last week which highlighted the work of Bus 52.

Bus 52 is a documentary film project led by five young people who are traveling the United States on a converted school bus. Their aim is to tell the stories of people and/or organizations who are having a positive impact in their communities. While they don’t focus solely on what’s being done to combat hunger here at home, the article in the Huffington Post focused on that subject in particular. And I have to say, it was nice to hear some positives for a change.

Take the Generous Garden Project in South Carolina, for example. Local Bo Cable started an organic garden for the folks of Greenville after he saw a need in the area and after noticing that food banks had a dearth of fresh vegetables. “We just give it away,” Cable says in the Bus 52 video. “No questions asked.”

There are a number of other projects highlighted like the free cafe for the needy run by student volunteers at The University of Kansas, or the urban farming project run by Nat Turner in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. All admirable, and all reminiscent of how Heifer is working to help achieve food security and grow agricultural jobs through our Seeds of Change initiative.

So take a minute to remind yourself that there’s a need right here at home, and another to be inspired by all the things that are being done in communities just like yours.

Is there a happy story in your community that maybe we don’t know about? Tell us!

Heifer Haiti Distributes Food to Hurricane Sandy Victims

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Annie Bergman

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Last Friday we posted about emergency efforts that were underway to help the people of Haiti affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Yesterday, Heifer Haiti’s Country Director, Hervil Cherubin, let us know that the food distribution was a success. More than 400 food packages were given out to families who needed help in the wake of the storm. Cherubin said Heifer Haiti also helped provide food to Haitians who are physically challenged.

The distribution took place in Solon (a community in Saint Louis du Sud) where Heifer Haiti has a rabbit project and various communities in Les Cayes where the office is located.

It was the first of Heifer Haiti’s planned efforts to provide emergency aid. While Heifer does not specialize in short-term relief but rather in long-term sustainable solutions, our Heifer Haiti colleagues and participants need your continued help. Please consider donating to our Disaster Rehabilitation Fund so we can provide the best assistance possible and help equip families with the means to help deal with future disasters.

Heifer Honduras Helping Women-led Small Business

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Annie Bergman

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Falguni Vyas is traveling with Heifer CEO Pierre Ferrari this week visiting projects in Honduras and Guatemala.

Belen-Ocotepeque in Santa Rosa-Belen, Honduras, sits just off a winding, bumpy road high in the Honduran hills. This small, rural community is home to 10 women entrepreneurs who, two years ago, started a small business canning vegetables and preserving jellies to sell at market to supplement their income. These women come together about once a month to prepare their Pitillo brand products for the market. They sell locally and will sometimes take the early morning, two-and-a-half-hour-long bus ride to San Pedro Sula, one of Honduras’ largest cities, to sell at a larger market.

The group of 10 women who started a business canning vegetables and preserving jellies.

The group of women who started a business canning vegetables and preserving jellies with Heifer CEO Pierre Ferrari and Vice President of the Americans Oscar Castaneda.

On the outside, it looks as though the conditions are perfect for a such a venture. Pickled vegetables are a popular condiment in Honduras, and there are no other competitors in Belen. However, there is not enough demand for each of the women in the co-op to make a significant contribution to their household’s monthly income. The co-op was founded to serve as a means to augment the families’ main source of income, which comes from coffee laboring during the harvest season—from October to January. But with low demand combined with low profit (each jar costs about $2.50 to produce and sells for $3) the co-op members realized they need to get creative and seek out opportunities for their pickles and preserves to bring in the revenue they need.

Last year the co-op applied to put the Pitillo product line into supermarkets across Honduras. This is a lengthy process with many steps. First, a bar-code is needed for the labels, requiring lots of paperwork. Then, the co-op must pass a sanitation and health inspection. Lastly comes another six to seven months of paperwork, meaning the process could take several years.

While the co-op waits to hear a response on their application, they are discussing ideas for diversification. They already supplement the pickled vegetables and jellies with fresh produce at market but know that they can do more. In a meeting today between co-op members, Heifer Honduras and Heifer International staff, these women leaders had the opportunity to talk through ideas and brainstorm marketing concepts that will take their Pitillo jellies and pickles from small supplementary income to major contributor to the security and stability of their families’ livelihoods.

Right now, if you give to projects in Honduras and Guatemala, your donation could be matched dollar-for-dollar. Help other women just like those in Belen-Ocotepeque.

Container Gardens From Malawi

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Austin Bailey

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Here’s a clever idea from the industrious women of Gideon village in Malawi, who grow heaps of healthy greens right beside their front doors.

Grace Banda, a 28-year-old mother of four, keeps a line of burlap sack gardens planted with cabbage in front of her house. It saves her from trekking to her garden when she needs something green for cooking, and it could save you a trip to the grocery store.

To make your own container gardens using Banda’s method, you’ll need a large burlap sack, gravel, a tin can with both ends cut out, potting soil and goat berries. If you’re plum out of goat manure, compost works fine, too.

Step 1: Put the can in the bottom of the sack and fill it with gravel. Pour equal parts soil and compost around it, up to the top of the can.

Step 2: Slide the can up to the surface of the dirt, refill it with rocks and fill the area around the can with the soil and compost mix.

Step 3: Repeat step 2 until the sack is full.

Step 4: Cut staggered openings about 6 inches long along the sides, and plant seeds in the holes.

The cylinder of gravel inside the sack helps distribute and drain the water, ensuring that none of the plantings get too wet or too dry.

If you try your hand at sack gardening yourself, please send us a photo. Thanks!

Photos by Russell Powell

Learn to Make Cheese with a Romanian Grandma

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Donna Stokes

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Video by Geoff Oliver Bugbee and Katya Cengel, who are visiting Heifer projects in Romania this week for Heifer International’s World Ark magazine.

A year ago, Leontina Giorgio received a cow from Heifer Romania. The cow, Ruji, or Rose, was given to her by Heifer partner organization Bothar Ireland as part of the Milk for Orphans program. The program benefits both farmers like Giorgio, from the impoverished hills of Transylvania in the north of the country, and orphans who receive a portion of the farmers’ milk.

Don’t miss the video below where Giorgio takes you step by step through the process of making the delicious and nutritious Cas cheese from fresh milk.

Stay tuned for more posts from Geoff and Katya as they visit with Heifer farmers in Romania and Armenia.

An Ode to Bolivia

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Austin Bailey

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This monkey named Boris chased chickens and stole sun-dried beef in the village of San Jose del Cavitu, so the locals now keep him as a pet. Boris is well cared for, but will happily pickpocket strangers given the chance. Photo by Jason Woods

I’ll hedge and say that it could have something to do with jet lag, or changes in altitude, or even something in the water, but anytime I visit a new country where Heifer works, auspices of magic immediately distract and I spend much of my trip wondering if, perhaps, I’m hallucinating. It’s never anything ghostly or alarming, just sights so surreal that I’m bewitched, amazed, delighted. Is there such thing as a traveler’s high?

My first surprise, upon landing in Santa Cruz, was the flurry of kisses that didn’t let up the entire 9-day trip. The customary Bolivian greeting between two women or a man and a woman is a kiss on the cheek. It’s a bit awkward at first, but who can quibble with such a charming welcome? Far superior to a handshake, in my book.

Clusters of butterflies gather on roadsides and on trails in the Amazon region of Bolivia. Photo by Jason Woods

And then, consider the capybara. These squee-worthy creatures populate the roadsides and riverbanks of the Bolivian Amazon. The world’s largest rodent, capybaras look like sleek, super-sized guinea pigs and can grow up to 100 pounds. When startled, capybaras emit kazoo-like sounds and immediately belly flop into the nearest body of water. Seriously! Neither I nor my travel companions managed to snap any capybara photos, leaving me to question, in retrospect, whether such an adorable creature actually exists.

We were further enchanted by the pink dolphins splashing in the rivers and the parrots and toucans flying overhead. “Is that an emu?” I asked our driver as we zipped down a muddy road. Turns out it was a rhea, a giant bird native to South America that can reach up to 90 pounds and nearly six feet tall.

Monkeys whooped at us from the trees as we sped by on motorbikes, headed to the shadowy chocolate forest where giant blue butterflies looped through the trees. Did you know that the juicy white fruits inside chocolate pods turn a bright purple when you chew them? I must report, however, that the charm of the chocolate forest ebbed under attack from the clouds of mosquitoes that nibbled our faces and left bloody specks on our clothes. We were also under siege from chiggers, although we didn’t realize that until hours later when we peeled off our socks.

But back to the kisses. The best part of the trip, of course, was the people we met. The purpose of our visit was to chronicle the work and progress of Heifer project participants who are amping up chocolate harvests, protecting the forests and working together to process cocoa at high quality and large quantities to secure good prices. They’re doing a pretty phenomenal job of it. This success story will appear in World Ark magazine later this year, although I may give a few glimpses of their work on this blog before then.

Hilaria Moye of San Jose Del Cavitu displays the skull of a jaguar her husband killed while out hunting. Photo by Jason Woods

Pastel dolphins and snuggly rodents aside, Bolivia is a real place with real challenges. Our visit was limited to the lowlands of Bolivia, where wild fruit is abundant and starchy crops like corn, yucca and rice grow easily, but malnutrition is still a problem because protein and nutrient-rich vegetables are harder to secure. Jobs outside the agriculture sector are rare, so incomes are low to non-existent. Some of the project participants are prosperous enough to live in houses made of bricks, but others live under palm thatch roofs held up by sticks.

The tools Bolivians have to overcome these hardships are a culture built on community and a fruitful ecosystem that can provide ample food and incomes if it’s well protected.

Elizabeth Franco Rodriguez, the president of the chocolate gatherer’s group in northeastern Bolivia’s Jasiaquiri village, is well aware of both her country’s charms and challenges. The hot, hard work of chocolate harvesting isn’t so great when you come home covered in ticks, or when the mosquitoes infect you with dengue fever, she said. But it’s a family event, and she usually brings children, nieces and nephews along. At her home, shared with extended family, everyone stays busy. Chocolate seeds ferment in the sun, children grind yucca to make starch, and Rodriguez’s sister-in-law makes cheese in the breezeway. But that evening, when the work is done, the whole family will go into the nearby town of Baures to spend a couple of hours mingling and resting in the plaza, along with hundreds of others. It’s back to the forest to harvest chocolate again the next day, and the mosquitoes would no doubt be waiting. Rodriguez never complained.

“I just find it so exotic and beautiful,” I told her as we tromped through vines and underbrush. The translator conferred with Rodriguez, and she nodded. “She says yes, it’s that way for us, too.”

Check out this tree trunk covered in thorns. Amazing! Photo by Jason Woods

From the Field: Embracing New Opportunities for a Successful Future

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Erin Snow

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This weekly post shines a light on a handful of stories from Heifer.org’s “From the Field” section.

When we are open to new opportunities, our future is often positively affected. Heifer International project families experience this all the time. Embracing the new and trying something different, regardless of what one’s history or neighbors say, has made a profound difference in the lives of many.

Heifer Armenia and Ashtarak Kat CJSC, the country’s leading milk producer, are working together to help families improve the breed of their animals and build successful dairy businesses through the Milk for Communities project. Valuable training and equipment for artificial insemination (AI) will enable families to make the most of their milk cooling unit. Soon these families will pass on the gift to new families, and an even greater impact will be made on hunger and poverty in Armenia.

Sulekha Devi with her goat

Sulekha Devi, a CAHW in Bihar, India, with her goat

Coffee is the main economic activity for the residents of Cajamarca, Peru, but the crop is always vulnerable to an unpredictable climate and market fluctuations. When farmers here added guinea pigs and other inputs to their farming mix through Heifer’s Healthy Life and Sustainable Production for Coffee Producer Families in Lambayeque and Cajamarca project, they discovered that it pays to diversify. Now, with multiple crops, these families enjoy greater food and income security.

Sulekha Devi is a member of the Musahar community in Bihar, India. The Musahar are a Hindu scheduled caste, making them one of the country’s most vulnerable groups of people. They have no land of their own and must work as sharecroppers or agricultural laborers to support their families. Since Heifer India started the Mithila Women Empowerment and Sustainable Livestock Program, women like Sulekha are being trained as Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs). Sulekha has become an expert in diagnosing and treating animal conditions and has become a tremendous asset in her community.

Find out how you can give a new opportunity to a family today.

Self-Reliance: Not Just for the Rural Poor

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Brooke Edwards

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American Food Culture

Photo by JasonTromm, used under Creative Commons.

One of the identifiable turning points in my young adult life was a course I took as a sophomore in college called “Food and American Culture,” taught by Allison Wallace. It was one of those classes where you learn things you almost immediately wish you could unlearn, but of course can’t. It was the first time the concept of self-reliance was introduced to me, though it took a long time for me to internalize exactly what that looks like.

Last month there was a major snowstorm in central Arkansas (if you don’t live here, you possibly heard about it on the news). Thundersnow and Snowpocalypse were a couple of nicknames it earned. My family and I missed it, spending the holidays in the typically-snowy, but snow-bereft on that visit, foothills of the Smoky Mountains.

Every time there’s a storm like this, where thousands of people lose power and grocery store shelves are shopped bare, I remember a particular story Professor Wallace (well, we actually called her Allison, such was the culture of the College) told. Though I don’t remember all of the details so well–Allison, if you read this, please forgive any creative license I take with your story–the overall message resonated so much it sticks with me nearly 13 years later.

Arkansas snow storm

Photo by jball359, used under Creative Commons

Allison had lived in Maine, where the winters are typically harsher than in Arkansas. A snowstorm had hit, and many in her community were without electricity and other resources. As time passed and people continued to go without power and access to things like grocery stores, one community member in particular, an older woman, became the boon of the neighborhood.

Did she have an all-terrain vehicle that could drive everyone to the store? Nope. She had skills. A variety of skills once known by many and now forgotten by most. In fact, I’ve forgotten her list of skills. The two that stuck out for me were: She knew how to grow food and, importantly, how to preserve it.

Backyard garden

Photo by Pip_Wilson, used under Creative Commons.

As a college sophomore who lived on cafeteria baked potatoes and 10-cent ramen back in the dorm room, the thought of growing my own food and “living off the land” seemed remarkable. Completely unattainable. As a somewhat older and wiser person, I now see it’s not just doable, at least to some degree, it may be the key.

Having visited Heifer project families in Uganda, Peru and Ecuador, I have seen the difference between families who cannot provide for their own needs and those who go beyond that and can enjoy true security as they build income and assets and help their neighbors. One of the linchpins to this security is diversity of resources and skills.

Self-Reliance in Ecuador's Dry Forest

Though I'll never have as much land as Flor and her husband, Don Juan, who live in the Dry Forest in Ecuador, I will remember the diversity of their small farm forever. They grew their own fruits and vegetables, raised their own protein (fish), grew insect-repellent flowers alongside their crops, and produced their own natural fertilizer. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

When I come home and compare these families’ security with that of my own family I see how untenable mine really is. If it came down to it, could my family provide itself, long-term, with food, water, shelter and clothing? As of now we could eat eggs with rosemary and a side of figs (season permitting), cooked over a campfire.

I don’t believe we’re headed for a real cataclysmic shift anytime soon, but as these major storms (not just snow; this is Tornado Alley we’re talking about) happen more frequently, as food and fuel prices continue to rise, I’m more and more seeing the value of being at least a touch more self-reliant and on being part of a community with similar goals.

Food preservation

Photo by jazzijava, used under Creative Commons.

What do you think? Do you have any self-reliance skills already built? Are you learning to sew or grow a garden? Have you made any New Year’s resolutions that fall into this category? Or do you think this is purely the business of hippies and hipsters? Tell us in the comments section.

Drought Lingers, Winter Wheat Crop Withers | Mother Jones

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Brooke Edwards

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Drought Lingers, Winter Wheat Crop Withers | Mother Jones.

If you’re not a farmer, it might not occur to you to think about drought in January. What’s growing these cold, snowy days anyway? Well, winter wheat, for one, which is planted in fall, harvested early summer and responsible for 70 percent of the United States’s wheat crop. Technically winter wheat is dormant right now and should wake back up in spring to keep growing. But it still needs rain. From the article: “‘About 30 percent of the winter wheat in central Kansas has already failed, with further damage likely unless there is rain.’”

Winter Wheat

Photo by Per Jensen, used under Creative Commons.

In the U.S., there’s probably not too much to worry about in terms of our pocketbooks. The bread at the grocery store will probably be about the same retail price in 2013. It’s in the developing world, where Heifer works, that price hikes in commodity crops can quickly and significantly raise food prices. When you’re poor and depend on wheat as your largest dietary staple, there are rough times ahead.

Helping farming families diversify what they grow is an important component of our work at Heifer International. We aim to help families build resiliency against external “shocks” exactly like this. Families raising their own protein sources and multiple varieties of nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits are much less likely to struggle when commodity crop prices raise beyond what’s affordable. Families who are able to grow more than they consume are in an even better position to both earn additional income with the surplus and help their neighbors who may be struggling.

Diverse Garden in Tanzania.

A diverse and flourishing garden of Heifer participant in Tanzania. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

Heifer International’s Farmers Sell to Market in Hughes, Arkansas

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Erin Snow

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Hughes Farmer's Market

Hughes Farmer's Market

Residents of Hughes, Arkansas, gathered for a farmer’s market on Saturday, November 17, 2012. Members of the Hughes community live in a food desert, meaning they don’t have easy access to a grocery store. Many of the farmers selling produce at the farmer’s market are part of Heifer’s Seeds of Change project, which works in the Delta and Appalachia regions of the United States to bring healthy, sustainable food to communities and connect smallholder farmers with local markets. Meredith Rolf, project manager for strategic initiatives, shares how Heifer farmers are changing their lives for the better.

Find out how you can help smallholder farmers in the USA.

Aquaculture: The Gift of Fish for Life!

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Donna Stokes

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Tanzania aquaculture

Nicholas Mwakabelele took the spirit of Passing on the Gift to the extreme by giving tens of thousands of fish fingerlings away to his neighbors, including a blind man who once asked for a handout. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

Aquaculture, or the raising of fish under controlled conditions, accounts for half of the world’s food fish. In Heifer’s aquaculture projects, participants receive the gift of fish fingerlings and training in farming techniques specific to their area of the world. Such a gift very quickly improves family nutrition with the lean healthy protein of fish such as tilapia.

Plus, it’s easy to sell fish for income so families can achieve financial independence and Pass on the Gift of fingerlings to empower entire communities. One of Heifer’s most inspiring stories of Passing on the Gift comes from a fish-farming project in Mambi village, Tanzania, where Heifer participant Nicholas Mwakabelele (above), was the first in the area to become successful at fish farming. He often got requests from neighbors who wanted to buy a few fish for dinner, but when he met neighbor Wailos Nzalayaluma (below), both of their lives would forever change.

Tanzania aquaculture

Disease blinded Wailos Nzalayaluma before he could finish school. He is now able to provide income for himself and his mother through fish farming. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

Wailos is blind, and he asked Nicholas to give him a few fish for his family’s dinner. But Nicholas had a better idea. Instead, he helped Wailos build his own fish pond and then donated fish fingerlings to him so he could grow his own and never be hungry again. The two continue to work side by side as fish farmers in the community. Read their full story here in Heifer’s World Ark magazine.

Heifer currently supports 63 aquaculture projects in 10 countries including Brazil, Ecuador, Honduras, Haiti, Estonia, Thailand, China, Philippines, Cambodia and Tanzania.

Give now to help families like these in Tanzania start their own aquaculture projects.

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.

Goat Project in Uganda Improves Lives of Families Affected by HIV/AIDS

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Erin Snow

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Editor’s note: Last Saturday was World AIDS Day. Today we share with you another story of how Heifer’s work goes a long way to benefit families affected by HIV/AIDS. Original story by Christian DeVries.

Women's Goat Project Addresses HIV/AIDS in Mbale, Uganda

Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

During the past few years we have witnessed many great breakthroughs in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Awareness campaigns have been launched, dozens of new medicines were approved, and in Thailand in 2009 a clinical trial provided the first clear evidence of a vaccine for humans.

Sub-Saharan Africa has been one of the hardest hit areas. “More than 68 percent (approximately 22.5 million people) of those infected are in sub-Saharan Africa.”

One country that has made a lot of progress through stakeholder cooperation, effective awareness campaigns, and free access to antiretroviral treatment (ARVs) is Uganda. In the late 1980s Uganda’s urban infection rate was around 29 percent, with a countrywide rate of 15 percent. Today the prevalence rate has dropped to 6.5 percent.

“Although the country has been able to dramatically reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS among the population, the pandemic has caused the death of large numbers of young adults and orphaned approximately 1 million children.” An additional 1.2 million people are living with HIV in Uganda.

Mrs. Lovisa Wamukota (70) lives in Wokukiri village, in Mbale district, in Uganda’s Eastern region. Although she is not HIV positive, her life has been forever changed by this terrible disease.

Lovisa is the sole caregiver for 12 of her grandchildren between 5-18 years old. These children were orphaned by this deadly virus and unfortunately they are all HIV positive. I had the opportunity to meet four of the children: two boys, Simon Wamukota Waswa (15) and his twin brother, Fred Wamukota Kato (15); and two girls, Tereza Wabuyaka (10) and Gladys Wakoli (5). Lovisa’s husband, Mr. Justin Wamukota, passed away at 75-years-old. Together they had nine children; four are still alive and the other five have died.

Life was unimaginably difficult for a widowed elderly woman trying to care for so many young children. She did basic agricultural work for others and sold some of her own crops, but it was never enough. She was never sure where their next meal would come from. “Life was hard. I struggled to find enough food to feed the orphans,” said Lovisa. “I could work very hard, but the production was not enough.”

She desperately wanted to send her grandchildren to school. “It helps a child to learn to look after themselves when they grow up,” said Lovisa. “My parents told me, ‘You need an education so you can read life’s signposts so you won’t get lost.’” However, it was a choice between eating and buying books. “I did not have enough money to send the children to school,” Lovisa said. Whenever she was able to scrap some money together it was spent to meet her family’s basic immediate needs.

The Wamukota family’s life began to change on August 3, 2007, when Lovisa received a Saanen dairy goat from Heifer International. Tereza immediately fell in love with the pure white goat, so Lovisa named the goat “Tereza” also. “She always goes and plays with her goat. She feeds it and cares for it. She will go and get water for her when there is no water,” said Lovisa. “She produces good milk,” said Tereza. “It gives me energy to sweep the house.” “I also drink the milk and get energy,” said Lovisa.

Milk also gives Tereza the energy to play her favorite sport, netball, a fast-paced game similar to basketball. She plays netball at Wochili Primary School where she is in Primary grade 3. Her favorite subject in school is English.

Tereza (the goat) is a fantastic mother. She has kidded six times and each birth has been twins. The gift of one goat to Lovisa has multiplied into 18 goats. Lovisa also received a mineral block and tick medications as part of this project.

The trainings she received provided to be important as she expanded her herd. She has participated in several trainings, including: goat management, disease control, housing, feed, collect and manage manure, fodder, environmental conservation (energy saving stove), milking and handling, and Heifer’s Cornerstones.

Her favorite Cornerstone is Full Participation because, “This Cornerstone encourages people to come together and when we are together I don’t feel lonely,” said Lovisa. “As a family, Full Participation encourages collective action. We do our work together.” She added, “When we are together, we learn from each other and the children learn from me. This will help them sustain their lives.” Lovisa is happy because she knows that her grandchildren will have a skill that they can rely on if school isn’t for them or if they can’t find work after school.

Currently they are milking four does and receive an average of 2 liters per goat. From this 8 liters, 2 liters are used for home consumption and 6 liters are sold. Each liter sells for $0.42, so they earn $2.54 per day or $928 per year.

The manure from so many goats has dramatically improved Lovisa’s crop production. Before the project she was harvesting 200 kg of maize from 1 acre. Now she gets 800 kg or more per acre. Her banana plantation has seen similar improvements. “Ever since I started using the manure I haven’t been able to lift up the bunches because they are too heavy,” said Lovisa.

More food to eat and fresh milk to drink has helped the Wamukota family recover from many of their health problems. “I have noticed a very great change. Without this milk some of the children would be dead now. It is the difference life and death,” said Lovisa. Tereza was the sickest of all the children. Not only is she HIV positive, but her parents died when she was only nine-months-old.

A proper diet with good nutrition helps boost the body’s immune system and in turn increases the effectiveness of HIV medications. Thankfully, all of her grandchildren are now on antiretroviral (ARV) medication. Once a month, Lovisa or one of the older children travels to Mbale to pick up the medicines.

In Lovisa’s opinion, the biggest impact of this project is she now sends all of the children to school. She sells milk to buy school supplies: uniforms, pens, etc., and she sells goats to pay school fees for the children in secondary school. With four children in secondary school, Lovisa pays $153 per year per child, for a total of $610 per year. For the five children in primary school, she spends an additional $127 per year.

Lovisa is certain that without Heifer’s assistance she would never have been able to spend $737 to send her grandchildren to school. “I am grateful to God that I am alive,” she said. “Many have died, but I am glad I have been alive to see this change.”

Many other families have benefited from this project. Heifer provided 180 families with good dairy goats. An additional 450 families have now received pass on animals. “We thank Heifer Project for working with us and giving us these goats,” said Martha Nekesa (42), another Heifer recipient and Chairwoman of Lovisa’s group.

“Heifer is special, because it gets the donations and delivers it to the families. They have people who check to make sure it arrived to the intended beneficiary,” said Lovisa. “I trust Heifer because they promised me a goat and they fulfilled their promise.”

This simple promise has reduced hunger, improved health, and given 12 children a future that just four years ago seemed impossible. Heifer will continue to fulfill its promises, but we need your help. No donation is too small. Remember that even a small promise has the power to change someone’s life.

World Ark Now Available on Tablet!

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Donna Stokes

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Heifer International continues a long streak of innovation by becoming the first development nonprofit to offer a full digital magazine—the World Ark you’ve always loved—available in a free download on iPad or Android tablets.

You’ve likely already received your print edition of the Holiday 2012 World Ark, but as of today, there’s more content and features to love on your iPad or Android tablet. The print issue will continue to be available to Heifer supporters with no interruption.

For this premiere tablet Holiday issue, extra features include:

A welcome video by Heifer’s President and CEO Pierre Ferrari;
Video of women in Bangladesh celebrating during a Pass on the Gift ceremony from photographer Geoff Oliver Bugbee as well as a video glimpse of how the Arkansas Chuggabugs traveled around the world to raise money for Heifer;
A spectacular digital catalog featuring favorite alternative gift items including the gifts of women’s empowerment, sending a girl to school and cookstoves to improve health and the environment;
Interactive infographics including how women build clay cookstoves in Malawi;
An extra review of poverty- and hunger-related courses you can take for free on your tablet from iTunesU;
The latest news from the field on an interactive world map;
Slideshows featuring stunning photography.

Download your version today from the App Store^SM on your iPad or from the Google Marketplace for your Android tablet. Email our magazine staff at worldark@list.heifer.org to let us know what you think and what’d you like to see featured here for future issues.

The World Ark digital magazine will appear quarterly in spring, summer, fall and holiday. It was created with the help of digital design experts Bates Creative Group using the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite platform.

The World Ark print edition got its name in 1994 with an issue celebrating Heifer’s 50th anniversary. The magazine’s predecessor, Sharing Life, started in the mid-1970s.

Camels: An Extreme Animal Makes an Extreme Gift

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Kelly MacNeil

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The land where Heifer International works in northern Tanzania is so parched in the dry season that dust devils assault the landscape. This is where camels can become lifesavers, as one man discovered.

Elijah Lemayan Sokino joined a Heifer International camel project ten years ago designed to deal with the effects of periodic drought in the area. His family, like other Masai, depended on goats and cattle for their livelihood, but in years when the rains didn’t come, the cattle died. For the semi-nomadic people, this was distressing and perilous.

Even though the new camels were big and unfamiliar, Elijah stuck with them. He learned to love them. When drought struck again a few years later, families who had dismissed the animals returned to him, seeing that the camels survived when their own cattle did not. Worried they would starve, Elijah redistributed his camels to them.

Now, the family’s camels produce milk that sells for a good price in nearby towns, and people in the area call Elijah “Mr. Camel.”

You can help other families get this kind of independence with the gift of a camel.

Some things you may not know about these amazing creatures:

: Camels can eat almost anything

Camels can survive in environments with very little water and can eat vegetation other animals can’t.
Camels can drink up to 25 gallons of water at a time.
Camel’s milk has three times as much Vitamin C as cow’s milk, and is rich in iron, unsaturated fatty acids and B vitamins.
Camel hair can be woven into rugs and tents, and their manure can be burned for fuel.
There are about ten times as many Dromedary camels (the ones with one hump) as Bactrian (with two humps), and most of them live in the Horn of Africa or Middle East.
Camels have been called the “ships of the desert” for their ability to carry large loads across the sand.

You can give a gift unlike any other this holiday with a Heifer International camel.

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.