Category Archives: Asia/South Pacific

Our Work in Asia and the South Pacific

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Heifer’s Cornerstones are at the heart of the Asia/South Pacific Program’s Values-Based Holistic Community Development model for sustainable community transformation. Through this model, project participants are empowered to help themselves and make a sustainable impact on their communities.

Women in Heifer’s A/SP projects assume positions of leadership in their communities, living their values and helping others in need. These projects take families from hunger and poverty and move them to a level where they no longer focus solely upon meeting their basic nutrition needs.  Once this progress has been achieved, Heifer implements second-level projects in the same communities, leading to community-level economic transformation.

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Read more about our work in Asia and the South Pacific below and on our Success Stories page.

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Heifer increases goat productivity in Nepal

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In January Heifer launched its dream project for Nepal, Strengthening Livestock Value Chain (SLVC). Its goals are to increase meat and milk production to substitute current imports and create a unique value chain for meat and milk that incorporates smallholder farmers not only in the production phase but also in marketing it. But there was a glitch. Over the years degradation of genetic merit in goats resulted in lower levels of productivity. In layman’s terms, they had fewer babies who did not grow as well and farmers could not sell them for good prices.

Farmers of Ladavir in the Sindhuli district in eastern foothills of Nepal are a part of a unique classroom under the Community Initiative for Genetic Improvement in Goats (CIGIG). Here they learn about how to improve production of goats through selective breeding. These farmers are not new to rearing goats but what they learn in this classroom will teach them to do so in a more scientific way through observation and intervention. To put it simply, it’s the Mendel’s Law in action. A pool of healthy genetically superior does and bucks will be produced by the end of the project and will be marketed across communities around the country to in-turn increase their production. Ladavir will be a training ground and resource village for genetically superior high productivity goats.

Heifer’s work around the world is not just limited giving animals and agricultural inputs if farmers but also extends to doing what needs to be done to bridge the gaps between the present that the future that Heifer envisioned together with the families it works with. CIGIG is one such initiative.

Participants of the first CIGIG class mull over a poster that depicts how to select a good male and female goat from physical traits for breeding.

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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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Heifer India Leads Rukkhi to a Better Life

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Rukkhi Devi with her goats.

A Heifer India project participant stands in front of her new concrete house, which was made possible through the organization's sustainable agriculture development program.

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. 

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Why Water Buffalo?

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

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

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

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

water buffalo bath

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

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

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

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

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

Still don’t know what to give? Check out our entire online Gift Catalog.

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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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Follow me to the Philippines

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Next Wednesday, January 23, I’ll be departing for the Philippines. Like we told you last month, I’ll be traveling there to report on the rebuilding efforts after the damage caused by Typhoon Bopha last month.

Photo By Nacho Hernandez

I’ll be going to to Sta. Josefa where at least 366 families in two projects were significantly affected, with homes damaged or destroyed. More than 250 pigs were lost, as well as 90 goats. Rice, corn and banana crops were significantly damaged, and initial estimates from Heifer communities place damages at $550,000.

I hope you’ll check back in on the blog periodically, as I intend (depending on connectivity) to blog while there about the families affected by the typhoon and also about Heifer’s Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction program, which helped our project participants prepare for the typhoon.

In the meantime, you can give to Heifer’s Disaster Rehabilitation Fund. While Heifer is not a first responder, as part of our program work, we help our at-risk communities prepare for the potential impact of disasters.  Even so, natural disasters often overwhelm a community’s ability to respond. Our Disaster Rehabilitation Fund is a pool of money that can be accessed by country offices affected by disasters that exceed their ability to cope.

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Typhoon Bopha’s Aftermath

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The last time I posted here I was on my way to the Philippines to interview project participants who had lived through Typhoon Bopha. I told you that I’d be posting about my experiences. But we had no Internet, much less reliable electricity. Since I’ve been back I’ve thought a lot about my trip. It was one of the hardest trips I’ve taken. Below is a short reflection piece on my time there.

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I’ve seen real poverty before; heard the most heart-wrenching stories from war widows in Kosovo and survivors of the Khmer Rouge. I’ve witnessed the excitement that a gift of a goat brings and the incredible act of Passing on the Gift. But what I saw and heard in the Philippines was a level of devastation I’ve never encountered.

I was in Mindanao just six weeks after Typhoon Bopha tore through the island. As we made our way to the project sites it was as if we were inching our way closer and closer to a war zone. Palm fronds, bent permanently in the direction the winds were blowing, gave way to decimated villages.

Not only are the physical scars obvious—homes in pieces, partially rebuilt or gone completely; people living under tarps; men cutting away rotten portions of wood in an effort to save any materials from damaged houses; layers of silt and mud deposited in rice and corn fields; crops dead where they were planted, trees down—there are now psychological and emotional scars.

 

Ester Talledo talks about life after Typhoon Bopha.
Ester Talledo talks about life after Typhoon Bopha.

 

 I spoke to parents who say their children are afraid of the slightest winds, with mothers who have nothing to feed their families, and with fathers who are out of work because of factory closings or farm damage.

The typhoon ripped away hopes along with homes and livelihoods. All the Heifer beneficiaries here wanted was to provide their children with a life better than the one they had known. But with no food, no income and no job opportunities, it’s only a matter of time before kids will have to drop out of school.

What I learned in my 10 days there was the meaning of urgency. Typhoon Bopha was a minor blip on the Western world’s radar. But these people need help and they need it now. They have no food and won’t until the rice is harvested in the next few weeks.

In my five years with Heifer I’ve learned that each trip to the field leaves an indelible mark, and that each also comes with its own perils of the heart. I’ve been home from the Philippines for three weeks now, and though the images of crippled palms and makeshift homes are as clear as the day I was there, it’s the words of Ester Talledo that will remain with me forever: “While we’re alive there’s still hope. We will stay strong.”

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Heifer’s Disaster Rehabilitation Fund is reserved for to help Heifer participants who are victimes of events like Typhoon Bopha. Please give if you can. 

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Malaria=Poverty=Malaria

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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.

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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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Leela Devi Continues Her Struggle for a Better Life

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Leela Devi manages food stuffs as a project management committee member during a training program of self help group members.

Leela Devi manages food stuffs as a project management committee member during a training program of self help group members.

Story by Avni Malhotra

When we last brought you an update about Leela Devi (age 37) and her family in Simariya Village, India, we saw that with Heifer International’s help their income had increased and they were beginning to dream of living in a concrete house. But when we checked in last month, we learned that their struggle for a better life is not over. Even though there has been an improvement in income from the savings with the Self Help Group, the sale of vegetables from her kitchen garden and the work as a cook for the village school, Leela and Umesh continue their struggle for a better life.

The house they dreamed of completing is stuck due to some disputes in the family. The money they invested stands as bricks and cement that they had bought for the construction. They are now hopeful that they will be able to complete their house after a delay of six months.

Leela Devi poses in front of Bricks she has bought for the construction of a concrete house for her family.

Leela Devi poses in front of Bricks she has bought for the construction of a concrete house for her family.

This is a common situation for the people living in an economy where resources are few and claims of rights are numerous. Generations go by before disputes of property are sorted, if at all. The people find it hard to continue the fight as the struggle requires resources of time, energy and money that they can ill afford. Famous epics are written around such family disputes — Mahabharata being the most famous one.

We hope that Leela’s family will soon have the security of a concrete house and move out of the bamboo and mud house they have been living in.

Leela devi enjoys tea with Laxmi Kisku (a project management committee member of Bhartiya self help group) during a committee meeting.

Leela enjoys tea with Laxmi Kisku (a project management committee member of Bhartiya self help group) during a committee meeting.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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From the Field: Global Empowerment Launches Women’s Future

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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.

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.

Eka and Guri

Eka Surameli and her son Guri, pick tomatoes in their garden. Photo by Nino Tskhadadze

Eka Surameli, a 42-year-old mother of four children and two grandchildren, lost her home and livelihood during the Russian-Georgian war. The family left their garden and orchard unattended when soldiers forcefully emptied the Georgian border village. After the war ended in 2008, villagers returned to destroyed homes, burned fields and the continuing echo of gunfire.

Eka attended training on modern agricultural technologies through the Rural Development for Future Georgia (RDFG) organization and learned how to better maintain her garden and orchard. She worries her children will never forget the cruelty of war, but because of Heifer’s partnership with RDFG, she has hope for a peaceful future.

On February 22, 2013, Heifer Cambodia and its partner, Gender and Development for Cambodia, launched the three-year project Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights and Socio-Economic Empowerment. The European Union awarded about $1,441,720 in funding to help the project promote gender equality and women’s participation in sustainable socioeconomic development in Cambodia. Keo Keang, country director of Heifer Cambodia, said the impact on women’s lives will increase their self-confidence and also make a positive change in the expectations and behavior of men, families and communities.

Trinh Thi Phuong Dung, Heifer Vietnam

Heifer Vietnam project participant Trinh Thi Phuong Dung stands next to her family’s sugarcane field. Photo by Maria Lynn Wrabel, courtesy of Heifer International.

 

As a child, Heifer Vietnam participant Trinh Thi Phuong Dung was only allowed to complete the fifth grade. Understanding the importance of education, Dung and her husband have worked hard to finance their son’s and two daughters’ college educations. The couple began raising catfish and sugarcane with a $100 revolving fund through Heifer Vietnam. Dung and her family also help support their community by hosting monthly meetings for project participants to share experiences, ask questions and offer advice.

Empower more women with Heifer on International Women’s Day.

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From the Field: Project Goals Produce Smiles

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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.

The mission to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth may seem an overwhelming goal, but Heifer Armenia participant Artur Hovsepyan actively became part of the global vision when his family received a cow named Nargiz through Passing on the Gift®. Artur’s family had lived in very poor conditions, which led him into a deep depression for three years. But thanks to Nargiz and her new calf, Artur regained hope for the future and is once again an active member of his village.

Vietnam Animal Distribution Ceremony

Heifer Vietnam participants receive a heifer at the project’s second animal distribution ceremony on February 21. Photo by Nguyen Thai Loc

In Vietnam, participants of Soc Thao commune of Phu Tam village received heifers at the project’s second animal distribution ceremony. Eager recipients’ laughter filled the busy village as 125 people congratulated each other. One self-help group member said Heifer’s unique tools will allow families to pull themselves out of poverty and give their children a brighter future.

A Farmer Field School in the Northern Philippines recently received a grant for a permanent composting site. Before the project began, most villagers accepted poverty as a way of life. After practicing Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development, they are happy to successfully reach a goal. The site will provide new knowledge in organic farming to improve family’s gardens and help the group become organic vegetable producers.

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Your New Issue of World Ark is on the Way!

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WA-035_2013 February WA CoverHeifer’s East Africa Dairy Development project is changing the lives of 1 million people previously living in poverty. You’ve heard us talk about the importance of scaling up Heifer’s work to help more people in need, but how do we go about it?

In the February 2013 issue of World Ark, arriving in mailboxes this week, you’ll read about how we’re working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, partners and private providers including village banks, to connect small dairy farmers with each other—and with their local economies—to lift up entire communities.

You’ll also hear directly from young girls in India, who with Heifer’s help are beginning to realize their own strength and potential through education and training. Also learn what challenges India’s elderly are facing as young families migrate to cities for better jobs.

Bonus features include everything from tips on how to patiently teach compassion to children to a deep dive into the world of aquaculture, or fish farming, throughout the world.

You can also read the World Ark features online here, with extra stories and videos. Let us know what you think; we look forward to hearing from you!

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From the Field: Making Modest Dreams Come True

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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.

Heifer International is in the business of ending hunger and poverty and caring for the Earth. The dreams that come true for so many families as a result of this work are a pleasant and quite natural byproduct. The dreams of our project participants, considered modest by many, include things like running water, sending children to school, having decent shelter and enough to eat. Opportunities provided by Heifer combine with determination of families around the world to make modest dreams come true every day.

Jennifer Moyo with her chickens in Zimbabwe

Jennifer Moyo with her chickens in Zimbabwe

Jennifer Moyo raises chickens in the Makhulela ward of Zimbabwe, a business she got into when she joined Heifer’s Hope for the San People project. She works hard to improve her livestock’s housing and helps her neighbors with their livestock, thanks to her training as a Community Animal Health Worker. The money Jennifer earns with her small farm allows her to buy basic necessities for her family and send her children to school.

For farmers in China’s mountainous Mingle village, running water is a challenge. The local government attempted to assist with a large irrigation project, but all improvements were ruined when a landslide collapsed the diversion canal a year after construction. Fortunately the China Merchants Charitable Foundation, a Heifer partner, stepped in and replaced the canal with a steel pipe. Now, the lofty village enjoys proper irrigation, giving the farmers water, a luxury many take for granted.

Hasmik Papyan’s family has been living in a small wagon-house since an earthquake devastated their Armenian community of Stepanavan in 1988. When Hasmik received Olya, a pregnant cow from Heifer Armenia, the future started looking bright. Olya gives the family two to three gallons of milk a day, which goes a long way to support the family’s nutritional and financial needs.

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From the Field: Training and Education Empowers Women Worldwide

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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.

Using available resources is not always simple. Training and education is needed for many people to effectively improve their lives. For women around the world, Heifer International and its partners are providing that knowledge. When South Africa’s government provided water tanks to Mabheleni Village, many residents lacked the skills to use the new resource. Participation in Heifer’s Sukuma Poultry Project helped village woman Ntombizethu gain knowledge to manage and improve her two and half acre garden. Ntombizethu said Heifer’s training has brought positive change to her family.

Cusco woman learns to spin alpaca fiber into thread.

Photo by Bryan Clifton, courtesy of Heifer International

Heifer Research Assistant Jessica Ford recently experienced firsthand the philosophy of Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development. Ford met with eight southern Peru women’s groups as they learned how to spin alpaca fiber into thread. After the workshop, Heifer presented each group with a new spinning machine. This training in the Cusco community empowers women and their families, moving them toward a more sustainable future.

In Cambodia’s Ampao Prey village, Ouk Sam On lives with her husband and two children. When their rice yield did not supply enough food for the year, she and her husband had to leave their village to labor for a small income in Phnom Penh City. After partnering with Heifer-funded Cambodia Farmer Economic Development (CFED), Sam On attended workshops and trainings for leadership and project management. Because of her education, Sam On was able to enhance her farm’s productivity and authorities selected her as a Community Facilitator in charge of children and women’s affairs.

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Heifer’s Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas Show Real Heart

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This Valentine’s Day, don’t just go through the motions of gift-giving – get a special Valentine’s gift that will benefit others long after the heart-shaped chocolates are consumed. The gift of a flock of chicks, a llama or honeybees that help lift families out of poverty is the ideal present for Valentine’s Day.

Heifer International offers heartfelt and unique gifts for Valentine’s Day that celebrate a person’s sweet side. Each animal, along with extensive training, is given to a family in need, providing better nutrition and marketable products. As the animals grow and reproduce, the family’s livelihood improves; and they become benefactors themselves when they fulfill the commitment to Pass on the Gift of their animal’s offspring to another family.

Heifer Valentine’s Day gifts are touching and impactful. For example, see the changes in the small village of Carromata in the Philippines, which was bogged down in illiteracy, poverty and malnutrition after a new dam altered the river that had been its lifeblood. Heifer International’s LOVE project (“Life-giving Offerings and Values-enrichment for Empowerment”) provided water buffalos, pigs, chickens, vegetable seeds and fruit tree seedlings to families there, as well as values-based and technical skills trainings.

Valentines Day Gift Ideas

Canoto Budong  manually strips his Abaca to get the fibers. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Now, LOVE participant Canoto Bodong happily says sweet potatoes, taro and cassava are improving his family’s diet, and project families are growing abaca plants, whose fiber is valued by paper makers and the automotive industry. The community plans to set up its own fiber-stripping machine to expand its production.

Valentines Day gift ideas.

Children in Carromata play as Abaca fibers dry along the river bank of Tago. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Heifer International’s Valentine’s Day infographic shows that 80 percent of women have received a gift with no thought behind it, according to a recent survey. So instead of expensive but impersonal chocolates, baubles, or flowers that wilt all too soon, this Valentine’s Day give something that will honor him or her – a Heifer International gift that spreads the wonderful feeling of making a difference.

Check out our special selection of Valentine’s Day gift ideas to find the right gift for your sweetheart.

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From the Field: Looking Back and Going Forward

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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 determine how to get where we want to go, it helps to know where we’ve been. With this in mind, the Philippines government adopted the Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS) in 2000. This tool promotes evidence-based policy formulation that targets many Filipinos who are living below the poverty line. In addition, it helps the country achieve its Milennium Development Goals (MDG). Heifer Philippines staff recently attended the CBMS-Philippines National Conference to learn what direction the national and local governments are headed on the issue of poverty and how we can work together to empower residents to achieve food and income security.

Nazar with his pig Mashok

Nazar with his pig Mashok

Nazar is a teenage boy from Hushakert, Armenia. He has always thought about ways to make money, so when he joined a YES! Youth Club, he decided that the time was right to start his own business. After his business plan was approved by Heifer Armenia, Nazar received a financial grant to start raising pigs. His first activities have been so successful that he is making plans to expand his business.

When her husband sustained paralysis in half his body after an argument over land, Chandrarekha Paswan became open to ways to support her family. An opportunity came through Heifer India with Mithila Women Empowerment and Sustainable Livestock Program. Seeing something special in her, Chandrarekha’s fellow group members asked her to be the group’s Certified Animal Health Worker (CAHW). With hesitation, she accepted their request and soon discovered her knack for working with animals. Through Chandrarekha’s contributions, life is better for her family and her whole community.

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