Hunger is a Solvable Problem
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Category Archives: Poverty
Can We Wait Until 2030 to See Poverty Reduced?
I saw an Associated Press blurb on Monday that piqued my interest. Amidst the varying news reports (mentioned by Brooke here) that climate change and drought are raising the world’s food prices, and the others pointing to rising poverty and hunger rates in the United States, the National Intelligence Council says that world poverty rates could be reduced by half by 2030.
The AP article was interesting to me on a couple of levels. First, the NIC pointed to a rising middle class in the growing economies in India, Vietnam and Indonesia as the driving force behind the poverty reduction; and, second because 2030 is less than two decades from now, which doesn’t really seem all that far off.
Photo taken from the Nations Online Project
But can we, or better, should we, wait until 2030 to see those numbers drop that dramatically? I don’t think so. Sure the article is great news, and, yes, Heifer already works in both India and Vietnam, helping turn small farmers into small businessmen and women. Plus the article says that poverty reduction in these economies will continue despite economic upheaval, too. Even better!
So if what Christopher Kojm said on Saturday is right, that, “several hundred million people, armed with the resources and education will produce new technology to meet demands for food, water and energy,” don’t you think we can help them along?
I do. Heifer is already working to help create this burgeoning population of people. And we’re working harder and faster than ever before in areas that need it most—including the United States. Why don’t you help us?
Heifer CEO in Nepal: First Steps into Sustainability
On his first day in Nepal, Heifer International President and CEO Pierre Ferrari found himself among a group of withdrawn yet excited women in an unused classroom in the village of Kabilash in Chitwan district, a jostling 45-minute drive uphill on a dirt track that was patched up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.
Heifer India Leads Rukkhi to a Better Life
Rukkhi Devi with her goats.
Rukkhi Devi stands in front of her new concrete house.
“In the last six months, the biggest change has been that from a thatched house. I have been able to build a concrete house.” —Rukkhi Devi
Life is getting better for Rukkhi Devi. She looks at the two goats she received from Heifer India. These now have four kids. The two to be passed on are ready for the big ceremony. The goats changed her life. She got three liters of milk every day: she kept one for her family’s consumption and sold the rest at about $1 per liter to the local merchant. The family has sold two bucks for 5,000 Rupees (about US $ 100) this month. About 10 months ago, they sold a male kid male for $40. The family has earned a total of $140 that has increased their family income.
But in order to get this result, Rukkhi had to learn how to keep her livestock. She learned the benefits of keeping the goats in a shed so the hot summer sun would not burn their skin. She learned how to stall-feed them too. The fodder seeds Heifer provided also helped.
Rukkhi is also seeing the benefits of the vegetable seeds she received. Now the family has eaten green vegetables every day for the last three months. These positive results encouraged them to plant eight more trees this year.
The highlight of the project were the three import trainings Rukkhi received:
- The nutrition & hygiene training has been very informative. Rukkhi says it has helped her learn and understand how to maintain personal hygiene and to keep the house and its surroundings clean. She understands the importance of a toilet in the house. She also understands the strong emphasis on good nutrition for good health.
- The training on smokeless stoves has helped her understand the hazardous implications of smoke on health, especially on the health of women in the house. She says she understood how the smoke would affect her vision, her eyes and her respiratory tract. She is glad that these problems, which were deemed to be eventualities, will not affect her or her family now. She also understands that it will save on fuel and fuel costs, and also reduce the ill effects caused to the environment. She is happy that she will be able to cook twice as quickly, the utensils and dishes will not turn black from charcoal and the kitchen will not be covered with soot.
- The training on rain water harvesting systems helped Rukkhi realize the importance of water management. She says her family would save a total of about $57 annually on water because of collecting rainwater. Given the scarcity of water and negligible amount of rain in the region, the rainwater harvesting system would help them maintain an unrestricted supply of water throughout the year. This would impact the lives of the women positively because they are the ones who travel long distances to fetch water, she adds.
Editor’s note: This post is part of a series that follows the progress of specific families, starting at the beginning of their work with Heifer. In Asia/South Pacific, our colleagues have chosen one family in each region in the countries where we work and will bring us quarterly updates. You can read the first story about Rukkhi Devi and her family here.
Clinton: Value Women the Same as Men
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.
Ryan Bell Gives Gift of Transformation
Ryan surpassed his $25,000 goal on December 14. He's currently at $27,705. Let's help him get to $30,000.
I have to admit, I was skeptical. When I wrote and blogged about the second of the two stories on Ryan Bell, I fully expected it to take much longer before he reached his goal of raising enough money for a $25,000 Gift of Transformation.
But this remarkable young man proved me wrong. Again. Ryan reached his goal lofty goal late last week, and his Team Heifer page continues to bring in money. I’m truly grateful to have been able to tell his story; to have gotten to know Ryan and his family.
But the best part of all of this? Ryan isn’t done. He’s not satisfied with reaching his goal years before he expected to. When I contacted Ryan’s mom, Laura, last week, she was going to text him at school to tell him the news. He was thrilled, she said. Their conversation went a little like this:
Laura: “It made his day! So, that afternoon we looked up the new total and I said, ‘You know, at this rate you might be able to add a camel to your goal.’ You know my son by now… He said, ‘Mom, I think we should add an Ark!’”
Right now he’s more than half-way to reaching his NEW goal of adding $5,000 more to his remarkable total. If you want to help Ryan, you can go to his Team Heifer page and donate.
The Cost of Inequality in India
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.
Malaria=Poverty=Malaria
Today is World Malaria Day, which might have slipped your mind. That’s understandable. The United States eradicated malaria in 1951, and unless you’ve done much traveling it’s probably never topped your list of things to worry about. But for half the world’s population, the 3.3 billion people threatened by the deadly mosquito-borne illness every day, malaria isn’t so easy to forget.
Malaria symptoms include fever, headache, chills, vomiting, anemia and respiratory distress. Children infected with the disease are extremely vulnerable because they haven’t had time to develop any level of immunity.
Malaria is a mean disease that preys on the poor and the innocent. In 2010, 90 percent of all malaria deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, the region of our planet that’s home to the highest proportion of undernourished people. Poor people with limited resources and limited access to health care often can’t afford housing with screened windows and doors to protect them from infected mosquitoes. And once infected, people suffering from malaria lose work days and the paychecks that go along with them, deepening their poverty. This is a handicap faced by countless Heifer project participants who can find themselves incapacitated by malaria multiple times each year.
Most deaths from malaria claim children under the age of 5. That means that every single minute of the day, a child dies of malaria. Pregnant women also face heightened risk.These numbers will knock the breath out of you, but luckily they’re better than they used to be. Malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25 percent since 2000. And with continued use of mosquito nets and insecticides, the hope is that the disease will continue to loosen its grasp.
The theme for World Malaria Day 2013 is “Invest in the future. Defeat malaria.” The disease still kills 660,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization. But not everyone agrees on the numbers, and in fact, the Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation puts the death toll at 1.2 million per year. I know that number will be stuck in my head for a while.
Happily, we know that bed nets, insecticides and improved housing can slow or stop the spread of malaria. We also know how to treat it. It’s just a question of resources. If, after reading this, you’re having a hard time getting malaria off your mind, visit the WHO’s World Malaria Day 2013 website to learn more.
Happy International Day of Families
Teghenik, Armenia — Heifer beneficiary Tsovinar Davtyan prepares cheese, the sale of which supports her children and grandchildren. Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee
“Families hold societies together, and intergenerational relationships extend this legacy over time. This year’s International Day of Families is an occasion to celebrate connections among all members of the constellation that makes up a family. It is also an opportunity to reflect on how they are affected by social and economic trends – and what we can do to strengthen families in response.”
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for 2013
When Heifer International measures the impact of its projects and programs, it doesn’t just count individuals. Gender and Family Focus is one of Heifer’s Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development, and the family unit is central to our work. In fact, we count on strong family bonds and the cooperation that comes with them. Family members are invested in each others’ success, even when they know the fruits of that success won’t be reaped until they’re gone.
“I have seen whatever I would like to see in my life, I don’t need anything more for me. Everything is for my grandchildren,” explained Tsovinar Davtyan, 67, a grandmother of four in the Armenian village of Tekhenik. She cares for her family’s cows because she knows the benefits will last for generations.
May 15 is the United Nations International Day of Families, and this year’s focus is on fostering inter-generational solidarity. That’s a challenge for families in the Philippines, Bolivia and other places where job opportunities are few so young people set off to find opportunities elsewhere. This is where Heifer steps in, helping to build agricultural opportunities locally to keep families intact.
Click here to support a family in need through Heifer International.
Download the Summer World Ark on Your Tablet Today!
Elite runner Wesley Korir won the 2012 Boston Marathon. But what he’s doing for his fellow Kenyans is even more amazing.
The Summer 2013 issue of World Ark on your iPad or Android tablet includes an exclusive Heifer Hero feature on elite runner Wesley Korir you won’t want to miss. Download the new World Ark tablet issue today to read how Korir passes on the gift of his own success to those near and far.
The 2012 winner of the Boston marathon placed fifth this year, putting him safely across the finish line before the bombings. He also recently won another race, this time for a seat in Kenya’s parliament so he could be in a better position to help those in need in his home country.
We first caught wind of his generosity from writer Katya Cengel, who met him in Louisville, Ky. She shared the buzz around one of his U.S. race-day habits, buying two Subway sandwiches before a race, one for himself, and one to give away to a homeless person.
The issue also features a report from World Ark Senior Writer Annie Bergman, who traveled to the Philippines to share Heifer farmers’ stories of courage and resilience in the aftermath of Typhoon Bopha. Other stories include an update on women’s literacy training in Cambodia, a report on dire conditions developing in Burkina Faso related to severe drought in the Sahel, and an interview with former first lady Laura Bush on an initiative she leads to help empower women in Egypt.
There’s also a surprise “Easter egg” in the issue, courtesy of our talented designers at Bates Creative; email us if you think you found it!
Happy exploring.
Rural Ukraine Through the Eyes of a Cameroonian
I recently had the opportunity to visit Heifer projects in the eastern European country of Ukraine. It was really my first visit to Heifer projects outside Africa, and though it was a week of heavy travel across the country, I was grateful for the chance to see smallholder farmers in another part of the world and begin to understand the challenges that they faced. From the western city of Dnipopetrovsk to the eastern city of Lviv and in between, we met men and women, all farmers and members of co-ops producing dairy products, strawberries and herbal teas. I was amazed by the simple genius of their ideas and the enterprise with which they pursued it. I was warmed by their hospitality and kindness. I was intrigued by the fact that, wherever I travel around the world, people have the same simple dreams for themselves and their families: food on the table, clothes on their backs, health, education and gainful employment.
Farmers worked the field as we drove through rural Ukraine. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.
As we drove across the Ukrainian countryside, I was struck by the sight of rural people farming along the roadsides. This was an image I had only ever seen in Africa, so it was startling to me to see men and women holding hoes and bent over their farms; change the color of their skin and we might as well be in any part of rural Africa. Though the heat of the sun may be more merciful here, and the ground less unyielding, their purpose was the same; to grow food for themselves and their families.
Smallholder farmers face enormous challenges growing the world’s food, and at Heifer International, understanding these challenges deeply is key to our work. We must help farmers make the shift from only feeding their own families to feeding a growing global population while cooling the Earth. In order to make this shift, smallholder farmers need to see farming as an enterprise.
Unfortunately, smallholder farmers don’t often think of themselves as entrepreneurs. Yet every day they make decisions no less important and consequential than the ones being made at the world’s most sophisticated stock exchanges; decisions about portfolio management (which crops to plant), risk (pests, weather), investments (land, labor, seeds, energy and other inputs) and returns, costs and benefits, market demand, profit and loss, credit, product diversification, revenue projections, all the while keeping a watchful eye on changing global climate patterns and the added uncertainty that brings. They may not know the business terms, but they understand the concepts just the same.
Antonia and her family. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.
In Heifer’s Theory of Change, women are a critical lever for multiplying our impact. In Ukraine, this theory is evident. From my travels, I will remember women like Antonina Kurylenko. Through a project managed by Heifer, Antonina and her husband took a loan two years ago to convert a former Soviet-era collective farm into the family farm, which now houses their 10 cows. They started with five cows, and their investment has grown in a few years. Their profits have also grown, as they are now shareholders in a nearby dairy cooperative Heifer helped establish. Increased profits mean better lives for Antonina and her three children and two grandchildren. They have a couple more years to pay off their loan, but for them it has been a worthwhile investment. Antonina is a woman who seems to do everything emphatically and deliberately, from the way she flicks the pests off her cows to the choice of music she plays them in their barn. “It helps improve their production,” she insists.
Improving production and productivity on limited resources is key to how we are going to feed a projected global population of nine billion people in 2050. On 10 hectares of carefully selected land owned by a farmers co-op in western Ukraine, Heifer has partnered with Danone (the parent company of the U.S. dairy company known as Dannon) to help a group of farmers grow strawberries for the company’s yogurt products. On this small parcel of land, efficiency and productivity are very important. Farmers pay close attention to the quality of strawberries planted, when they are planted to avoid frost, how they are irrigated, when the farm is weeded and where the labor for this manual task is obtained and at what cost. There are dozens of details to be carefully attended to in order to ensure the strawberries are picked at just the right time, stored properly and sent off to the processor to be put into yogurt. Initially, the two-year-old project was supposed to grow enough strawberries to meet 60% of Danone’s demand, but the market has grown quickly, and farmer capacity is challenged to grow with it. Plans for expansion are underway, which means more work for farmers and also more profit. This partnership is a win/win for farmers who need to earn a good living and for a company that needs to source healthy, wholesome food for its demanding customers.
My trip to Ukraine was a master class in learning more about Heifer’s work and the challenges of development, especially for smallholder farmers the world over. We covered 7,000 miles in 10 flights in 6 days. It was physically grueling, but mentally rewarding. I feel grateful for the experience. I’ve returned to my office with renewed conviction that smallholder farmers will feed the world, and Heifer will play an important role. I’m excited to play my part.
From the Field: Passing on Perseverance
This weekly post shines a light on a handful of stories from Heifer.org’s “From the Field”
section. Families who receive livestock from Heifer International also gain education and learn new skills, which teach them how to thrive after our support ends. When they Pass on the Gift®, they enable others to regain the dignity of providing for their family and the hope of developing stronger communities.
Neang Chhoeun, a 53-year-old farmer and self-help group (SHG) leader, lost his right leg in Cambodia’s civil war. Despite his disability, Chhoeun was determined to impact his neighbors by restoring a road in their community. “I find that Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones [for Just and Sustainable Development] work very well for my life,” Chhoeun said. “I apply them personally and I have improved incomes for my family and I have passed on the gifts to my neighbors to help them alleviate their poverty.” Heifer Cambodia helps amputees like Chhoeun with the challenges of living with physical disabilities.
Neang Chhoeun brought his community together to restore a dirt road, which will make traveling to their homes and market much easier. Photo by Nou Samnang, North-West Region Program Officer, Heifer Cambodia
Bilkis Begum’s family did not believe she could contribute anything of value, but through perseverance, she raised the family’s standard of living and changed their minds. With support from her women’s SHG in Teyarirchar village, Bangladesh, she received a young bull, education and gender equity training. These experiences helped Begum expand her family’s assets, improve their income and contribute to her community. She also successfully proposed that a preschool for poor families be established in her village.
Since 2010, the gift of sheep has given hope to 45 families in Lernantski village, Armenia. One resident said unexpected weather conditions make horticulture less and less reliable, but Heifer’s assistance is improving the lives of these diligent families. Grandpa Hovehannes of the Ohanyan family said, “Heifer’s assistance to us and to our community is indeed invaluable. The whole village is the witness of it.” The community continues to persevere despite harsh conditions and pass on gifts to other families in need.
Learn how you can help families persevere
Poverty Will Not Always Be With Us
We must go beyond ending extreme poverty. Heifer International’s participating families and communities thrive and remain out of poverty. Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.
A recent article in The Economist delivers great news: we very well could reduce extreme global poverty to three percent (possibly even one percent) by 2030. Considering extreme poverty (under $1.25 per day) in developing countries was successfully halved five years earlier than projected (from 43 percent in 1990 to 21 percent in 2010), we have learned quite a lot about what is required to bring poverty rates down.
In a nutshell, countries’ economies must grow, and inequalities must be reduced. But the situation is far from simple. Here are some highlights from the article:
- This week, the leaders of Britain, Indonesia and Liberia will recommend to the United Nations a list of post-2015 Millennium Development Goals, the most significant being a promise to end extreme poverty by 2030.
- Bringing the second billion out of poverty will be harder than it was the first.
- Data suggests that two-thirds of the 1990-2010 reduction in poverty was due to economic growth, and the other third was due to greater equality. Countries with greater income equality reduced poverty more and faster than those with large gaps.
- 75 percent of poverty reduction between 1990 and 2010 took place in China; India is poised as the next country to experience dramatic reductions.
Achieving this goal–the near eradication of extreme poverty by 2030–will be remarkable. But $1.26 is still a meager existence. Growing family and community assets, empowering women and protecting the environment are Heifer International’s methods for bringing families farther above the poverty line and ensuring long-term stability.
Support our work now with a donation where it’s most needed.
More Milk from Fewer Cows
Editor’s note: Today is World Milk Day. Heifer International project participants around the world have dramatically improved their nutrition and overall wellbeing through the consumption of cow, goat, sheep, and even camel and water buffalo milk. In celebration of World Milk Day, we bring you a story from our East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) program, which is boosting the yields, incomes and nutrition of millions of people in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Original Story by Ann Mbiruru, EADD information and communications officer.
We visited Francis Wanjohi, a small scale dairy farmer, in Kenya’s central region. Francis has succeeded in increasing his income by, surprisingly, keeping fewer dairy cows.
Francis with his cows. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.
When the return on investments is high, we naturally tend to want to invest more in the same asset to reap more benefits. Perhaps we buy more stocks or more land. Believe it or not, this is not necessarily the case for small-scale dairy farmers in Kenya. Due to limited availability of land, water and labor, keeping fewer high-quality cows and feeding them better yields better milk production. It’s a challenging message EADD preaches, but farmers are adopting these practices with beautiful results.
Yielding more through better practices
In 2010, Francis faced a difficult milk production and marketing dilemma. He had two crossbred Friesian cows, but their milk production was low. He used a traditional grazing method, letting the cows graze around the family compound. Francis was unaware that this method of grazing meant the cows expended a lot of energy, and each cow gave an average of 5 liters of milk on a good day, far below their potential (a Friesian cow is capable of producing up to 40 liters per day). His cows were not as healthy as they should have been.
Francis’s turning point was when milk vendors stole his money. Despite being “skeptical of cooperatives,” he joined the Mweiga cooperative, which is part of EADD. It was the additional services offered by the cooperative hub model that delighted Francis and enriched his enterprising small dairy business the most. He accessed dairy information hitherto unknown to him, a market for his produce and an expansive social network of other farmers like himself.
On his 5-acre piece of land, Francis keeps two cows. He could keep five, giving one acre per cow, but he says two is his magic number because, “I want to farm other crops, and there is money in milk, if you do it right.”
Francis also keeps goats on his small farm. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.
With advice from the cooperative extension officer, Francis put up a modern cattle paddock and learned to mix cost-effective feeds on the farm. The results were soon visible: his cows were healthier and produced more milk. “I now milk an average of 32 liters of milk a day from the two cows. They are healthier, too,” he said, animatedly pointing to the shiny black and white cows chewing shredded hay. Planting and conserving his own fodder like calliandra, lucern and napier reduced his production costs.
Francis informed us that he has no intention of increasing his herd, and instead wants to apply the lessons he has learned so his cows increase milk production to at least 25 liters each. “I trust Mweiga will market the milk, so I don’t have to worry,” he said. His decision is backed by EADD feed specialist Josephine Kirui, who advises, “One dairy cow should have an equivalent of one acre of land for feed and fodder in a year.” This ensures the environment is well taken care of and the dairy cows, which are heavy feeders, produce to their maximum.
Cooperatives as marketing avenues
“The cooperative sells the milk on my behalf, and I access feeds and drugs from the cooperative agro-vet on credit. I also don’t have to worry about days when milk was not collected, as the cooperative had a collection point near my home; all that is required of me is to deliver the milk by 5:00am,” Francis said. To ensure the farmers deliver quality milk that fetches competitive rates, the Mweiga cooperative trains farmers on the basics of milk hygiene, handling and milking techniques to reduce contamination. Francis invested in metal cans and a good salve, and as a result, he said, “My milk has never been rejected at the collection center.”
Milk chilling plant. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.
The returns on investment through EADD are many. For Francis, increased income has enabled him to see his two children through high school. “I also built a new house,” he said proudly.
Francis is one of the 2,275 members of the Mweiga Cooperative Society, through which they supply their milk to the market. Mweiga cooperative is one of EADD’s 21 partner cooperatives in Kenya, and part of Kieni Dairy Products Limited. The members of the cooperatives have been trained in feeding and feed preservation and also in breeding by the EADD project extension officials.
Visit the EADD website for more information.
Save Lives this International Children’s Day
Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.
Many countries around the world are celebrating International Children’s Day today, June 1. While the United States doesn’t formally recognize today as a holiday, I’d like to commemorate it, because the world’s hungry children are why we do what we do here at Heifer International. Any day we can recognize the weight of that commitment is a good day.
Every five seconds today, a child somewhere will die from a hunger-related cause. That’s 16,000 in just one day. It will happen all over again tomorrow and the next day and the next. It’s tragic and mind-blowing and preventable.
What can you do to stop it? Give. By donating to Heifer International, you help turn statistics like these into healthy children with a future.
Not committed to helping yet? Watch this slideshow below to see just a few of the millions of children Heifer International has been able to help through donations from people like you. Families who receive livestock and training from Heifer are able to feed their children nutritious meals, send them to school and pay for their medical care when needed.
You can also help by sharing this post! Share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.
The Most Enthusiastic President
Photo courtesy of Heifer Peru
Elizabeth Villanueva Diaz joined with other mothers in the high Andes of Peru to start a handicraft association. She was named president because of her enthusiasm for education and building a better life for herself and her son.
The women raise alpacas and llamas and sell the textiles they make from the animal’s wool. Heifer Peru supports the group through training, which helps the women gain skills and knowledge.
Elizabeth says what she learns must be shared with her fellow workers and young girls too. By teaching young women to knit, she spreads strength and teaches them to never give up on their goals.
You can help build a sustainable life for women in Peru
From the Field: Reaching Their Goals
This weekly post shines a light on a handful of stories from Heifer.org’s “From the Field” section. Heifer International’s mission is to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth. Many families worldwide have been part of that vision and have reached the goal of lifting themselves out of poverty.
The Rural Entrepreneurs for Agricultural Cooperation (REACH) project in Haiti recently surpassed their goal to train 60 Community Animal Health Workers this year. “Harry Charles (a Heifer International veterinary specialist) and I are very satisfied with this achievement,” said Hervil Cherubin, Heifer Haiti’s country director. “We have much more demand [for the training] than we can keep up with.” Participants said the training is valuable and necessary for success in the rural areas of Haiti.
A woman participates in Heifer Haiti’s Community Animal Health Worker (CAHW) training. Photo courtesy of Heifer Haiti
Oloka John and his family live in Uganda. Before participating in Heifer Uganda, the family of five referred to their livelihood as a “life of lack.” Now, the family operates a retail shop and banana plantation and plans to expand their work. As their lives have transformed, they are Passing on the Gift® to their neighbors.
In Brazil, women’s groups are working together to reach their goals. This dedicated network shares resources and knowledge to build sustainability in their communities. Their dedication has not gone unnoticed as they raise sheep, make dolls and teach their children. The Daughters of the Land in the Canoa de Dentro Community were recognized for their project that produces organic pulps, jellies and jams for schools and needy families.
Help people reach their goals around the globe
Five Days Below the Poverty Line
Every week we feature a fun and/or educational activity you can try at home or in the classroom. This week, we want to present you with the Live Below the Line challenge. Join others on World Hunger Day and support the campaign that fights poverty through the movement of enthusiastic people.
Photo credit: facebook.com/UNICEF-USA
The Global Poverty Project initiated the campaign to educate and mobilize mission-minded people in the fight against hunger and poverty.
About 1.4 billion people worldwide live below the poverty line every day. Heifer International helps families and communities who live in extreme poverty.
Our long-term solutions distinguish Heifer from emergency relief aid organizations. We provide livestock along with training and education so people can lift themselves out of poverty and lead sustainable lives.
Your goal is to experience a week in the lives of the world’s poorest people. In the U.S., living below the poverty line for five days means spending only $1.50 a day on food and drink.
Changing Lives in Nepal
Sita Poudel with Prakash Women’s Group in Belsi. Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee
If you’ve browsed Heifer’s blog for long at all, you’ve already met Sita Poudel, who was one of the original goat project participants from Heifer Nepal in 1993, and has been working with the organization ever since.
She’s been one of our most cherished Heifer Heroes, featured in World Ark magazine in 2010, and has also been highlighted here on the blog for International Women’s Day 2012.
Heifer staff members Vicki Clarke and Cathy Sanders talk about meeting Poudel for the first time during a visit to Nepal earlier this year.
Poudel started her own nongovernmental organization, the Women’s Group Coordination Committee in Chitwan, Nepal, which works with nearly 500 women’s groups in the country. Her warm heart and perseverance show how far two goats and a passion for helping others can take you.
Join Sita Poudel and Heifer in helping lift the women of Nepal to self-reliance.
We’ve received more than $1 million from generous Heifer donors and a group of local donors was so deeply moved by the success of our previous Nepal projects that they are investing over $1.2 million, accelerating the pace of change. We need your help now so we can triple the impact of your gift!
