Category Archives: Gender Equity

Heifer CEO in Nepal: First Steps into Sustainability

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On his first day in Nepal, Heifer International President and CEO Pierre Ferrari found himself among a group of withdrawn yet excited women in an unused classroom in the village of Kabilash in Chitwan district, a jostling 45-minute drive uphill on a dirt track that was patched up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.

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Holiday World Ark Features U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

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The holiday edition of World Ark magazine is out, hope you got yours already. This issue is especially great.

It’s not every day that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton takes the time to chat with us about women’s role in development work. She makes a brilliant case for why boosting women’s status around the globe is so important.

“We know that investing in women’s employment, health and education levels leads to greater economic growth across a broad spectrum,” she said. “It also leads to healthier children and a better educated population overall. We know that political systems that are open to full participation by women produce more effective institutions and more representative governments.”

The magazine also features stories and photos about Heifer projects in Senegal, Malawi and Bangladesh.

If you haven’t found your magazine in the mailbox yet, view it online here.

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Clinton: Value Women the Same as Men

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While her days as the U.S. Secretary of State are drawing to a close, Hillary Clinton used an opportunity last week to again call attention to the plight women around the world.

Clinton made similar remarks in an interview with World Ark magazine, which we published in our Holiday issue. Long a champion for women, Clinton acknowledged both in her speech last Thursday and in the interview with Heifer, that there are still great strides to be made before women and girls are seen as equals to men.

“As the mother of a daughter, and as someone who believes strongly in the right of every person, male and female, to have the opportunity to live up to his or her God-given potential,” Clinton said, “it pains me so greatly when I travel to places around the world and am received almost as an exception to the rule, where the male leaders meet with me because I am the secretary of state of the United States, overlooking the fact that I also happen to be a woman.”

“We are on the right side of history in this struggle, but there will be many sacrifices and losses until we finally reach a point where daughters are valued as sons, where girls as educated as boys, where women are encouraged and permitted to make their contributions to their families, to their societies just as the men are,” she said.

The speech followed Clinton’s acceptance of a humanitarian award given by Concern Worldwide, an anti-poverty organization.

Clinton’s interview also appears in the first World Ark tablet edition, as well, which you can download from the App Store on your iPad or from the Google Marketplace for your Android tablet.

 

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The Cost of Inequality in India

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The horrifying story of a young woman who died after being brutally gang raped in New Delhi is putting inequality in India in the international spotlight. The murder of 23-year-old Jyoti Singh Pandey is spawning widespread protests and a push for major change to the chauvinism and oppression Indian women face.

The need for change became even clearer this week, as political and spiritual leaders continued to openly blame women for inviting assault by being out in public after dark or wearing skirts. And on Wednesday, a lawyer for three of the five men accused of raping and torturing Jyoti Pandey said Pandey and her companion were solely responsible because they were out together after dark, but were not married. Wow.

The moral argument for addressing gender inequality in India is clear. And surprisingly, the economic argument is clear, as well. A survey of 2,500 women in several Indian cities revealed that nearly 82 percent of the women are leaving work earlier since the infamous Dec. 16 attack to avoid being away from home after sunset. The survey indicates that one in three women in Delhi reduced their work hours or quit their jobs altogether to avoid making themselves vulnerable to attacks. This drop in productivity will only add to India’s poverty.

India is one of the world’s poorest countries when measured by per-capita income, and the country’s failure to invite women into the workplace and support them there is a major factor. Only 35 percent of Indian women work. Just think of the potential forfeited when millions of women opt out of the workplace.

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A Sweet Role Model

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Agronomist Vanessa Mendoza is a role model for many of the girls she works with in chocolate-harvesting communities.

Agronomist Vanessa Mendoza is a role model for many of the girls she works with in chocolate-harvesting communities. Photo by Dave Anderson

Editor’s note: Empowering women is at the core of Heifer International’s model for sustainable development. In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, this week we are sharing stories of the women with whom Heifer works, who take the gifts of livestock and education to produce extraordinary results for themselves, their families and their communities.

It’s not the most glamorous or lucrative profession one could choose, but lots of the girls in Jasiaquiri village in northeastern Bolivia have made up their minds. They want to be agronomists, just like Vanessa.

Vanessa Mendoza is a frequent visitor to Jasiaquiri, which she reaches by flying from her home base of Trinidad on a prop plane, then driving over bumpy dirt roads in a pickup. She works for the Bolivian NGO CIPCA, the Centre for Research and Promotion of Farmers, which is teaming up with Heifer to help people in Jasiaquiri and surrounding villages protect and capitalize on the rich supply of wild cacao growing in the forests. The unique cacao that grows here is part of traditional regional cuisine, and it also makes one of the most delicious chocolate bars on the planet.

Visiting Jasiaquiri with Vanessa Mendoza is like visiting Costco with Joe Biden. There’s always going to be an entourage. That her most ardent fans are young girls makes sense. Vanessa has an education and career that allow her to offer real help in rural areas where paying jobs are scarce. She’s also pretty and friendly, and she paints her fingernails to look like ladybugs.

On an overcast day in January, Vanessa sat at a table at the home of Susana Abalos Dorado, an enterprising schoolteacher in Jasiaquiri. Besides teaching school, Dorado also raises chickens and ducks, runs a snack shop out of her front yard and maintains a solar-powered telephone for neighbors to use. The camaraderie between these two professional women was clear as Dorado explained the economics of her home village and Mendoza nodded along. The village of roughly 65 families is more prosperous than most, Dorado explained, because it’s on the road to the small town of Baures. Most of the young people here would like to stay, but opportunities are few.

Mendoza is helping the community protect the chocolate forests so they can continue producing for generations, providing food and livelihoods for families here. Mendoza is also helping local chocolate harvesters improve quality and get the best prices. Her job is a big one, but she does it with such warmth and grace that she has plenty of young women ready to follow her lead.

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From the Field: Heifer Brings Families Together

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

Gender and Family Focus is one of the key elements of Heifer International’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development. Communities worldwide are greatly impacted as families work together to achieve their goals. As men and women, sons and daughters, share responsibilities we are one step closer to eliminating hunger and poverty.

Norik with his calf. Photo by Knarine Ghazanchyan, Program Coordinator, Heifer Armenia

Norik with his calf. Photo by Knarine Ghazanchyan, Program Coordinator, Heifer Armenia

Norik Mkrtchyan, 14, lives with his parents and two brothers in Lukashin Village, Armenia. He helps take care of the family’s animals and works along side his father and brothers in their garden. Neighbors look to Norik’s father, Armen, for vegetable marketing advice, and his mother works preparing cheese. Norik received a cow from a Heifer-supported YES! Youth Club and plans to pass on its first calf to another club member.

Before joining a SHG in Cambodia, Loek Bunthoeun had to leave his wife and two children behind to work in Phnom Penh city. Most of his income had to sustain him as he migrated to the city for work. Now, Loek and his wife generate income with their family’s organic vegetable garden and are planning to expand their garden and begin raising pigs.

In Vietnam, Danh Hoang, 45, lives with his wife and four children. They are members of a self-help group (SHG) and plan to seize every opportunity to live a sustainable life. Danh’s two sons help their neighbors with the rice harvest while their mother weaves coconut leaves for roofing material. Danh received training through Heifer Vietnam and plans to pass on the gift to another family in need.

Learn how you can help bring families together.

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A Young Girl’s Walk for Water

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Water is a vital resource for agriculture, sanitation and for all human existence. Yet 780 million people do not have access to clean water. In recognition of World Water Day on March 22, Heifer International is highlighting the need for those struggling to emerge from poverty to have reliable access to water.  

Water. A simple requirement for many of us in the world, but not for Idess, a young girl living in Zambia who has to walk a mile four or five times a day to retrieve just a bucket of water or two.

Idess lives just outside of Ndola, Zambia, in a community called Kanyenda, with her family, which has received goats from Heifer International. At 15, Idess is in the 8th grade but school isn’t her only responsibility. She and her mother, Dainess, 46, are also tasked with going to fetch water from the community well. Though she is in her teenage years, Idess understands her role in the family dynamic.

Girl in Zambia who walks for water

Idess, a 15-year old girl with much hope, thanks to Heifer

I was able to spend time with Idess and her mother one Saturday to learn how they spend each day on chores like fetching water and cooking for the family. Though I had arrived early in the morning, they had already gone to bring water back once that day for the morning’s tasks. It was already time to walk back to the well to bring water for the preparation of  the family’s lunch.

We grabbed our buckets and began to make the walk in the hot, African sun even though Idess and her mother do not wear shoes. As we started to walk, Idess stayed close by my side to make sure I didn’t have any trouble carrying the empty buckets or get lost along the multiple dirt roads. Though she was young, she had made this walk so many times she does it with ease.

After about 25-30 minutes, we arrived at the well, about 40 feet deep. Attached to the well was a yellow Jerry can that is dropped into the well to lift out the water. Dainess showed us how to drop the can in the well and lift it out to pour it into the bucket. She did it with such grace that the 30-pound bucket seemed effortless to lift up. Next was my turn to try. After one unsuccessful attempt to fill the bucket full of water, I tried again. Idess explained that you have to turn the can to the side and lift up, turn the can and lift up again to get it fully filled.

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It was time to lift the can out of the well. My attempt had none of the grace of Dainess’ maneuverings. The bucket was heavy, the rope was wet and my hands were not strong enough to hold the rope and pull it up out of the well. Idess gave me a sweet smile and then asked if she could help. Water is a resource that no one can live without and she understands the importance of bringing back as much water as you can each trip.

Once our buckets were filled with water, it was time to return. I wanted to try to carry the water on my head the way Dainess and Idess do, to try to understand how they live each day. Idess helped me as I placed the bucket on my head. As the 15-25 lb bucket of water settled on my head, I started to feel the tension in my shoulders, back and mostly my neck. As we began to walk, water slowly sloshed out of the bucket onto my face, shirt and pants. (I had a real fear that there would be no water left in the bucket once we arrived at their house.) As we walked back, everyone was much quieter, focusing on their load. 

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Carrying back the water, though using two hands is cheating

After about 30 minutes, we arrived back at the house with water left in all buckets to use for cooking. To retrieve the water took about an hour and a half. Cooking prep took another hour, as did the cooking process. After about 3 hours, we had retrieved water, prepared food and cooked. Most days, Dainess and Idess have to do this two to three times for their family.

Zmabia women making lunch

Dainess prepares lunch with the water that was collected.

The water we collected was to cook and wash dishes with for that day. The other water collected will be for the goats the family received from Heifer, for the family’s consumption, small garden and for bathing.

As we think about World Water Day, let’s think about Idess. Her hopeful smile shows that the work we do at Heifer is impacting her family by showing them how to manage water consumption and practice water conservation to not only improve their lives, but the environment as well.

Give the gift of clean water today.

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Where Strength Lies

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Women own less than one percent of the land in developing countries, yet are responsible for producing 80 percent of the food. Bringing women together is where strength lies. Heifer empowers women around the world because a family can lift themselves out of hunger and poverty easier when men and women learn to share their roles and responsibilities.

Sunaina

Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International

Women, like Sunaina Devi in India, know this firsthand.

Five years ago, Sunaina and her family were living day to day. Her husband, Laxmi Thakur, worked as a carpenter, but his small income could not provide the family’s basic needs. Sunaina leased a young goat each year – fattening it until she could sell it at a local market. She then split the profit with the goat’s owner. They found themselves falling further and further behind and eventually turned to a local money lender with an interest rate of 20 percent to cover the bare necessities.

Everything changed when Sunaina joined the Rani Women’s Group.

She was intimidated by having to complete a year of extensive training before receiving any livestock from Heifer. “I had never gone to school or been trained to do anything,” she said. “I felt as if I had no knowledge, and I was afraid I would not be smart enough to understand what Heifer needed to teach me.”

Sunaina finished her training and was the first woman in her village to receive livestock and seedlings from Heifer. She received three goats, a breeding buck, seven chickens, seedlings for vegetables and two fruit trees. Her family’s income and health slowly improved.

A clever business woman, she now owns a small plot of land where she grows vegetables for her family and they sell the surplus at a local market. Three of their chickens consistently lay an egg each day and they sell about 15 eggs each month. She hopes to start selling tamarind and lemons from her fruit trees soon. With part of their income, she bought a water buffalo calf to start an income-producing milking business.

Sunaina's water buffalo

Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International

She is amazed by the health benefits of an improved diet and better sanitation. Four years ago, her son Mukesh, now 23, was too sick to work. Now he has steady work and contributes to the family’s income. Her grandson, Adkit, 6, suffered from chronic upper respiratory problems. At the time, she could not pay for his medical care and turned to the local money lenders. She was discouraged because the medical care did little to help and her husband’s salary was needed to pay back their debt. Now Adkit is much healthier and doesn’t need continual medical care. Sunaina is now confident their income will cover any medical costs that arise. And if a medical bill exceeds her ability to pay, she has a backup plan–the other members of the Rani Women’s Group.

Sunaina and Pooja

“I am so grateful for what the Heifer donors have done for me and my family and my women’s group.”
Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International

Part of the success of Heifer’s work relies upon Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development®. Sunaina’s favorite cornerstone is Sharing and Caring. “This brings women together, and that is where our strength lies, with each other,” she said. The Rani Women’s Group demonstrates Sharing and Caring through their cooperative fund. This financial safety net allows members to contribute money regularly knowing if a need arises they can borrow from this fund instead of the money lenders. This is a sense of pride and relief for these women.

Sunaina, always an optimist, flashes a brilliant smile when asked if she is surprised by her accomplishments. She never dreamed her family could be in such a fortunate position. Her daughters are growing up in a different village from when she was a child. The women have status and make important decisions that affect their families and their community. “My husband has always treated me with respect, but now there is something added,” she said. “Before, he made all the decisions about the family, including how money was to be spent. Now, we talk together about family matters and make joint decisions.”

Click here to empower women like Sunaina with the gift of livestock and training.

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Guinea Pigs and Gardens Sustain Families in Peru

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Heifer Peru participants are learning to care for guinea pigs and maintain gardens, which will help support their families when the coffee harvest is slim due to coffee rust, disease or plague. Guinea pigs provide protein and additional income. Alfalfa, cabbage, celery, onion, spinach and other vegetables grown sustainably in bio-gardens support nutritious diets for families and their livestock.

Peru

Martina Sanchez Barrios, 26, with one of the family’s guinea pigs. Photo by Jake Lyell Photography

Help families in Peru build a sustainable future

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From the Field: Building Strong Foundations

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

To make lasting changes, Heifer International continues to base its mission, to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth, on the 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development and Passing on the Gift (POG). By emphasizing community involvement, sharing and caring, Heifer’s approach lays the foundation for sustainable sources of food and income worldwide.

IWD in Nepal - Vickie Clarke

Nepali women celebrate their success on International Women’s Day as they march through their villages. Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Holding signs that read, “Women are the key to community development,” Nepali women celebrated International Women’s Day by marching together through their villages. Through accountability and leadership development, numerous women have established a deep commitment to the Cornerstones. More than 20,000 original families have benefited from this dedication in just over one year.

Heifer Philippines held 12 Cornerstones Workshops in that country’s Caraga region preparing participants for involvement in the area’s first dairy project. The project will reach 400 original partner families and another 800 families through POG. After the workshops, participants agreed that the Cornerstones helped them realize the value of working together and how to nuture that gift. 

Hmayak Najaryan, 40, of Khachaghbyur, Armenia, was trying to support his wife and two sons on little more than $100 a month. In partnership with Ashtarak Kat CJSC, Heifer Armenia provided alfalfa seeds, a milk cooling tank and artificially inseminated the family’s cow. Now Hmayak’s sons, who want to become educated professionals, have a stronger foundation on which to grow and dream.

Learn how you can help provide families with a strong foundation.

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From the Field: Partnerships Create New Opportunities

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

Those who partner with Heifer International are crucial to its mission. Without the help of faith communities, corporations, partners, and countless volunteers, the vision would not reach its full potential. Heifer knows partnerships create the needed strength to make a tangible and lasting difference.  

In the Philippines, three development cooperatives conducted training for participants hit by Typhoon Bopha. The group learned about pig husbandry, dairy goats and feed mills. Participants said the workshop was fulfilling as they gained valuable lessons in a shorter period of time through hands-on learning. Trainings like these hope to engage communities and increase employment and income.

Ukraine Study Tour

Women leaders from Ukraine take part in a study tour established through partnership with Women’s Information Consultative Center. Photo courtesy of Heifer Ukraine

Between October 2012 and February 2013, women leaders from all corners of Ukraine participated in study tours funded by Heifer Ukraine and the Women’s Information Consultative Center. The trainings aimed to solve problems such as high unemployment, domestic violence and lack of medical care. These practical and educational trainings encouraged participants to develop their own projects and receive mini-grants, which help boost self-confidence and active determination.

In partnership with Syngenta Foundation and UAP insurance, Heifer’s East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) project participants received help to hedge their businesses against common risks. A newly introduced livestock insurance plan will help farmers to prevent disease and malnutrition and insure them against loss at a low monthly cost. The included care package also aims to reduce annual mortality rates. In addition, a call center is available to farmers, which will dispatch a veterinarian to confirm a cause of death so the cow can be replaced.

Insured dairy cows will protect farmers against the risk of losing their livelihoods to common cattle diseases. Photo courtesy of Heifer East Africa

Insured dairy cows will protect EADD farmers against the risk of losing their livelihoods to common cattle diseases. Photo courtesy of Heifer East Africa

Learn how you can get involved and make a world of difference

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Gift Upcycled Flowers for International Women’s Day

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Every week we feature a fun and/or educational activity you can try at home or in the classroom.This week we are also honoring the women with whom Heifer works, who take the gifts of livestock and education to produce extraordinary results for themselves, their families and their communities. With this activity, kids can make an upcycled flower bouquet to honor their family and friends for International Women’s Day on March 8.

Create Your Own Upcycled Flowers

Photo credit: scraphacker.com

Photo credit: intimateweddings.com

 

Materials:

  • One paper egg carton
  • 12 pipe cleaners
  • 24 gauge wire
  • Buttons
  • Crayons, markers or paint
  • Floral tape (optional)
  • Scissors
  • Paper clips
  • Glue (wood, white or hot glue)

First, cut out the egg carton cups using scissors. Cut the cups into your favorite flower shapes. Next, color or paint the cups then let dry. Modge Podge can be used to produce a glossy finish.

Once your flowers are dry, use a paper clip to poke two holes through the back of the flower. Use 24 guage wire and pipe cleaner to create the flower’s stem. Push the wire and pipe cleaner up through one hole on the back of the flower, then bend and push back down through the egg cup. Use floral tape to wrap the wire and pipe cleaner flower stem.

To finish decorating your upcycled flower, use your choice of glue to add buttons, beads or gems to the center of the flower. Add a variety of colors and shapes to make a beautiful bouquet!

To see the full tutorial for this activity visit intimateweddings.com

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International Women’s Day: Be Part of the Solution

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Editor’s note: Empowering women is at the core of Heifer International’s model for sustainable development. In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, this week we are sharing stories of the women with whom Heifer works, who take the gifts of livestock and education to produce extraordinary results for themselves, their families and their communities.

International Women's Day - empowering women

Dang Hong Thuy, 47, and her daughter Nguyen Thi Yen Nhi, 17, hold a gosling near their home in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Gender equity is central to Heifer’s success in eliminating hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. A family can more easily lift itself out of poverty when men and women learn to share and respect their roles and responsibilities. That’s why Heifer directly confronts gender equity in its 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development.

While women own less than one percent of the land in developing countries, they are responsible for producing 80 percent of the food. Heifer empowers women worldwide by investing in their families’ health, education, and nutrition.

International Women's Day - education of girls

Lidia Ingabire, age 8, of Rwanda, shows her mother Arodia Uwimbabazi, 32, what she’s done at school. Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Women are also more likely to pass on the gift of their education and success to their families. Heifer encourages girls to study math and science, and also supports female entrepreneurs. Training and workshops such as animal health, holistic community development, and fiber spinning ensure participants learn skills to build a solid foundation and become self-sufficient. Through Heifer’s work, women also collaborate to establish better communities and afford decent education for their children.

Heifer believes every woman has something to contribute to their families and communities, especially if they have been excluded or undervalued within the culture. The opinions and full participation from women leaders is a vehicle of change, which also fosters helpful interaction between neighbors.

Success stories like the Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights and Socio-Economic Empowerment project in Cambodia, will continue to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Around the world, Heifer is working to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. A charitable gift to Heifer not only provides livestock and training, it gives hope and dignity to women as they improve their lives.

Be part of the solution with Heifer on International Women’s Day

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Heifer’s CEO to Tour Haiti Ag Sites with President Clinton

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Tomorrow (Friday) morning, Heifer President and CEO Pierre Ferrari will travel to Haiti to meet up with President Clinton and 19 other representatives of organizations and corporations investing in Haiti to tour exciting new projects in agriculture across the country.

Haitigoat

Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee

The Clinton Foundation states in its invitation that it has been working with the Government of Haiti and partners on the ground to help facilitate economic growth and job creation in a variety of priority sectors. The Haitian government has identified agriculture as key in these efforts as it holds strong potential for job creation, improved livelihoods, environmental recovery and food security.

“Revitalization of the agricultural sector is a critical component of the country’s long-term strategy for recovery,” the document says. “Development and the opportunities for growth and diversification are clear.”

The weekend trip is an opportunity to explore new opportunities to foster growth and investment and to also acknowledge efforts already in the works, such as Heifer International’s partnership with North Coast Development Corporation. The partners are launching a solar-powered drip irrigation project focusing on food production with the organization SELF, and will include one of Heifer’s goat breeding centers as part of the Clinton Global Initiative commitment REACH project to introduce better breeding stock, using sturdy Creole goats, into area communities. The project also includes an orchard of fruit and nut trees, sisal production and beekeeping and associated products.

The Clinton-led group will visit this project as part of the tour on Sunday, in United Nations helicopters.

Stay tuned for updates in the next week about the opportunities and relationships at work in this Clinton Foundation tour. Filmmaker Craig Renaud and World Ark writer Donna Stokes will be along for a few of the events and conversations to share details about this exciting opportunity for Heifer’s work in Haiti.

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Empowering Women to… Empower Women

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Editor’s note: Empowering women is at the core of Heifer International’s model for sustainable development. In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, this week we are sharing stories of the women with whom Heifer works, who take the gifts of livestock and education to produce extraordinary results for themselves, their families and their communities.

Women are on the rise in Rwanda. The country’s constitution requires that 30% of its parliament be women, and Odette Uwamariya, governor of the Eastern Province of Rwanda says women now make up more than half the parliament. “Fifty-six point two percent,” Charles Kayumba, Heifer’s Rwanda country director, clarifies. Even better.

Rwanda

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

This beautiful country, once so torn by civil war and later genocide, now knows almost no crime. Economic growth is at about 7%. Is it all due to women? Clearly, there are many factors at work here. But it’s significant that the genocide left the country 70% female. Women virtually had no choice but to step up to the work of re-building a nation.

Even with the development so evident in the capital city of Kigali, hunger and malnutrition are still the biggest problems in the provinces. Heifer has helped more than 40,000 families feed themselves and earn a living, most of them female-headed. The government of Rwanda has taken notice and started a program modeled on Heifer’s. The families who receive cows from the government are required to pass on the gift of the cow’s offspring to someone else in the community. Sound familiar? In many areas of the country, the government has turned to the experts– asking Heifer to oversee the program.

 

Uwamariya speaks about empowering women
Odette Uwamariya. Photo courtesy of Heifer International

“I want to acknowledge and recognize Heifer International for the good work they are doing here, and Dr. Kayumba for managing this program,” said Madame Uwamariya at our recent meeting in Rwamagana, the seat of the Eastern Province. Particularly among those affected by HIV, “we have seen tremendous changes after working with Heifer in terms of nutrition and income levels in the community,” Uwumariya reported.

A case in point is Nyirafaranga Liberathe, who lives in Rwinkavu Sector, Kayonza District. She is HIV positive, lost her husband during the genocide and now cares for three children and two grandchildren. When she first began taking medication for HIV in 2005, her antibody count (the bodies that fight infection) was around 96. Medication brought the number up to about 300. Since she began working with a Heifer goat project in 2010, she has been drinking goat’s milk regularly and eating more and better vegetables from her garden. Her antibody count now is at 926.

empowering women in Rwanda

Nyirafaranga Liberathe with grandchildren. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

The transformation Liberathe has undergone is not just physical, though. Before she began working with Heifer, she felt separated from her community, guilty even. She kept her condition to herself. She lived in fear of poverty, of having nothing. Now, she says, “I feel stronger and am accepted by the community. I have food, I’m fine.” She realizes she now has hope, and a future. “I have helped another family [through POG], I am free from debt, I feel excitement and am happy to be able to assist someone else in need.”

Just as Liberathe has undergone a transformation, so has Rwanda, helped along by strong women… and Heifer International. You can see it in the landscape, in the city, in the countryside, and especially in the eyes of the Heifer project participants. Empowering women through development may not solve all the world’s problems, but after visiting Rwanda, it’s interesting to wonder just what might happen if more women in more places were given more tools and training. Imagine the transformation…

Make a difference by starting a women’s group today.

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