Category Archives: Central and Eastern Europe

Our Work in Central and Eastern Europe

Posted on by
0

Heifer’s Central and Eastern Europe Program initiated its first pilot program in Warsaw, Poland, in 1992.

Roughly half of the countries in which Heifer works in this part of the world are European Union members. Whiel EU membership has offerd these countiries many advantages, it has also introduced challenges. A significant challenge in CEE is the remarkable number of young people leaving rural areas to seek work in Western Europe.

Many of the projects in our CEE countries focus on the support of viable rural enterprises in agriculture and ecotourism.

Throughout Central and Eastern Europe, projects also assist disadvantaged groups, like war widows and internally displaced people.

Help support our projects in Central and Eastern Europe:

Subscribe to our Central and Eastern Europe RSS feed.

Read more about our successes in Central and Eastern Europe below and on our Success Stories page.

[portfolio_slideshow size=thumbnail]
Pin It

Happy International Day of Families

Posted on by
0
Teghenik, Armenia — Heifer beneficiary Tsovinar Davtyan prepares cheese, the sale of which supports her children and grandchildren. Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee

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.

Pin It

From the Field: Embracing New Opportunities for a Successful Future

Posted on by
0

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pin It

From the Field: Heifer Improves the Environment

Posted on by
0

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

Because the Earth sustains us, environmental responsibility is of the utmost value to Heifer International. Improving the environment, one of Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development, means that our projects do not contribute to soil erosion, increase pollution, or cause or worsen environmental problems. Rather, Heifer projects have a positive impact on biodiversity, local wildlife, watershed conditions, sanitation and soil fertility.

Improving the Environment

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Heifer tailors its projects to work with the local environment, creating projects that enrich it and can thrive in that region’s conditions. In Central and South America, Heifer has organized its projects around regional conditions. In the Andes, for example, project participants raise camelids, using them as draft animals and harvesting their wool. These domesticated creatures thrive in the local conditions, and their padded feet don’t damage delicate mountainous foliage. Similarly, Heifer works with farmers in dry forest areas, teaching them to grow crops while avoiding soil erosion, increasing soil fertility and maximizing water resources. We also work with coffee, coca and cardamom farmers in our Americas-area programs. Working with a region’s environmental conditions ensures that the land will be productive for its future tenants.

Heifer Armenia and the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development’s (CARD) joint program works with farmers to breed cattle in the Syunik region. The organizations choose to work in the Syunik region because high-quality grass for animal feed is abundant, while in other communities, such as Armavir, Lori, Ararat and Shirak, securing feed is a problem.

Heifer Armenia’s YES! Youth Club Student Avet Grigoryan decided to launch a garlic business. The 16 year-old surveyed the land available to him. He consulted his uncle, also a garlic producer, who advised him to find sandy soil to plant in. After learning about Heifer’s Cornerstones, Avet knew that finding a patch of sandy soil would mean that his plants would thrive and that he wouldn’t have to use large amounts of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. He found that the soil at his home was unsuitable for growing and used his grandfather’s plot to raise his crops.

Help more families by donating now.

 

Pin It

Happy Global Family Day 2013

Posted on by
0

As many of us spend time home with our families today to celebrate New Year’s Day, we at Heifer would also like to celebrate Global Family Day. I hope you’ll enjoy this slideshow of some of our project participant families from around the world.

Global Family Day 2013

Photo by Christian DeVries, courtesy of Heifer International.

Pin It

Heifer International From the Field: Business Success Builds Confidence

Posted on by
0

This weekly post shines a light on a handful of stories from Heifer International’s “From the Field” section on Heifer.org.
Heifer International
The self-confidence that running a successful enterprise provides is transformative.

Before women in India’s Kiro ki Dhani village formed a Heifer Self-Help Group, they lacked confidence, always speaking in whispers and hiding their faces when speaking in their veils. After they formed the group, they pooled their money and awarded loans to group members.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

The individual members bought goats, cows and plots of land to expand their agricultural enterprises. Their success gave them confidence and motivated them to continue improving their lives. They feel empowered and are respected. They dug deep wells in their village, brought electricity to their village and traveled across India to meet other women’s groups and offered support based on their own experience.

In Armenia, students in Heifer’s YES! Youth Club spent the past year studying business. The students began various income-generating activities based on the available resources and their geographic locations, including raising garlic, breeding animals, honey production and selling baked goods. The experience of running a small business gave these burgeoning entrepreneurs confidence.

Armenian project participant Avet had to think quickly to save his business when a hailstorm approached his garlic field. He had to find a solution to protect his garlic, so he built a roof to cover his vegetables. “This was the first time in my life that the whole responsibility was on me, and I made it,” he said. “I was really proud of myself that day.”

Heifer understands the relationship between business success and confidence. In Ukraine, Heifer and its project partners are launching a learning farm to teach co-op members further about modern farming practices. The business techniques that participants will implement after receiving training will ensure their success. The confidence the success gives will motivate them to continue innovating and improving their lives.

Pin It

Heifer’s Legacy of Peace

Posted on by
0

Through the support of our generous donors, Heifer International has put millions of families on the path to peaceful and sustainable futures. Here are just a few examples of how our gifts of livestock and training have made the world a more peaceful place.

 

After World War II, we sent heifers do devastated European communities to help them rebuild their lives and their livelihoods. Here a mother in Poland gives her daughters fresh milk.

Peace in post-WWII Poland.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

In 1951, with the Korean War still raging, Heifer sent three planeloads of hatching eggs to Korea – Heifer’s first “Egglift.”

Peace during Korean War.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

After more than two decades of genocide and civil war, Heifer is helping families in Cambodia by providing peaceful alternatives to lives of violence. Click photo for more Heifer Cambodia stories.

Peace in Cambodia.

Photo by Matt Bradley, courtesy of Heifer International.

Devastated by genocide, Rwanda has begun its long road to recovery thanks to the “cows of peace” that supporters like you have provided. Pass-ons between Hutus and Tutsis are now common and a shining example of how gifts to Heifer can lead to peace. Click image for more about peace in Rwanda.

Peace in Rwanda.

Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee, courtesy of Heifer International.

Help Heifer continue its Legacy of Peace by ending hunger and poverty now.

 

Pin It

Universal Children’s Day: Young Dreams for Poultry Business

Posted on by
0

In celebration of Universal Children’s Day we highlight a young participant of Heifer Armenia.

Story by Anna Arakelyan | Business Educator | Development Principles NGO

Universal Children's Day: Young Rudik holds a chicken from his poultry farm, a business he created through a YES! Youth Club affiliated with Heifer International Armenia.

Young Rudik holds a chicken from his poultry farm. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Rudik Simonyan studies business as a member of Heifer’s YES! Youth Club in Mets Sariar, a community in the Shirak region of Armenia. Within the framework of the Young Agriculturists Network of Armenia (YANOA) project, 12-year-old Rudik received a small seed grant to start his own poultry business, in which he practices the skills and knowledge he learned during lessons at the club.

Rudik established a small chicken farm, which he named Tchoutik, the Armenian word for chicken. He bought eight hens and a rooster, as well as barley and vitamins. A few months later, he sold six of the hens’ chicks, and earned AMD 12,000, or about $30. He used part of the money to buy more feed for his poultry and passed the rest on to another student in his club.

Universal Children's Day: Rudik shows off his poultry farm in Armenia, which he started through a Heifer International project.

Rudik shows off his poultry farm. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Rudik’s father died several years ago, so he considers himself the “man” of his family, which includes his mother and sister. He plans to build on his current poultry business to make it larger and very successful so that he can take excellent care of his family. Rudik wants to be able to provide his mother and sister with every necessary comfort for a happy life. His biggest dream is to save the money he earns from his business to buy them a beautiful new house.

Pin It

Commit Acts of Kindness Today

Posted on by
0

Today is World Kindness Day, which is relatively un-celebrated here in the United States. What a shame, too. We could all use a little extra kindness, don’t you think? I still remember, back in high school, being made to do a Random Acts of Kindness project. At the time I thought it was ridiculous, having to log my daily acts of kindness every day for a month. As an adult with a wider view of the world, I now see the value.

Commit acts of kindness.

Image by electric.porcupine, used under Creative Commons license.

There’s an interesting post on Huffington Post UK today about the personal benefits of compassion and committing acts of kindness.

What greater acts of kindness could you make today than to donate to a struggling farm family through Heifer International?

The gift of a Family Farm Care Package will help a family boost the productivity of their farm, helping them grow more food for their family to eat and sell.

Commit acts of kindness.

Anna and her children with their calf. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

The family of Anna Gharzaryan and her husband, Aram Karapetyan of Armenia received a pregnant heifer from Heifer Armenia and the Armenian Missionary Association of America’s joint program. Their children, Hasmik, Hayastan and Hovhannes named the cow Nargiz. Before joining the project, the family was struggling. They didn’t have livestock, and they didn’t have the money to buy one, despite both parents working hard. Because milk and dairy products are an important part of their children’s diets, the couple was forced to purchase dairy products from the neighbors.

Commit acts of kindness.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

It’s been a year and a half since Nargiz the cow came to the Karapetyan family. Her first calf, Samara, has already become a nice heifer and will be passed on to another family in the community next year. This year a bull calf, named Bzho, was born. He is as nice and clever as his mom and sister. Nargiz’s productivity has further increased with the birth of Bzho. Last year, she gave more than a gallon of very tasty milk each day. Now, she is producing around two gallons per day. The family no longer has to spend their small income on dairy for the children, and with time and additional training, the family’s productivity and income will increase further.

Gifts of training and livestock supported by the Family Farm Care Package will help more families like the Karapetyans become self-reliant. Commit acts of kindness for farmers by donating. It makes a great gift for this holiday season, because it shows your friend, family member or colleague you know the value of spreading kindness around the globe.

Tell us about your acts of kindness this World Kindness Day in the comments below.

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.

Pin It

Heifer International From the Field: Training and Technology for Improved Livelihoods

Posted on by
6

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

Heifer International’s projects around the world differ in many ways, but training is an element they have in common. Training on topics such as livestock raising, marketing and gender and family focus is often the spark that drives project participants to create farms and businesses that are innovative, lucrative and inspiring.

Pa Phoeuk with her pigs in Cambodia

Pa Phoeuk with her pigs in Cambodia

In Cambodia, Pa Phoeuk applied swine-raising skills she learned and fattened a piglet to 304 pounds in just five months. She sold the pig and bought three more piglets to expand her swine production.

Project participants in Peru are using information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially online resources, such as social networking, to strengthen capacity and access new markets.

Milk cooperative members in Ukraine put their training to work and opened the country’s first smallholder farmer-owned milk processing plant. Being directly involved with processing and marketing is sure to increase their incomes.

Families in Tanzania have used innovative training techniques to make life better, including turning to camels for milk when raising cattle is no longer an option and transforming a small plot of land into an organic farming system.

Help more families by donating now!

 

Pin It

From the Field: Heifer’s Work Around the World

Posted on by
0

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

One of Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development is Gender and Family Focus. This element is present in a variety of ways in Heifer’s projects. Women often represent their families in self-help groups (SHGs) and become models for their families and even communities.

The values-based literacy program teaches Youern Sopheak, 18, more than just reading and writing.

The values-based literacy program teaches Youern Sopheak, 18, more than just reading and writing.

The Strey Tbong Pich women’s group in Cambodia is now in its second year of a values-based literacy progam. Participants of all ages worked very hard, despite challenges such as last year’s flooding, and recently successfully completed their final exams.

Female agricultural service cooperative (ASC) representatives, including Heifer project leaders, recently visited Ukraine’s Parliament on Human Rights to share about gender-equity isses rural women face. This is an important step in improving gender equity throughout the country.  

Finally, meet Rose Were, a farmer in Kenya and former Heifer project participant, who hosted more than 400 farmers at her four-acre farm for a World Food Day celebration on October 16.

Pin It

Irish Heifers Give Romania ‘Chance for All’

Posted on by
0

Editor’s note: Story and photos submitted by Heifer Romania team

Heifer's Chance for All project launches in Zimnicea, Romania

Heifer's Chance for All project launches in Zimnicea, Romania.

The official launch of Heifer Romania’s Chance for All project started at noon on October 18 in Zimnicea, the southernmost region of Romania. The $2,464,300, or 1.9 million Euro, program was developed in collaboration with Heifer International, Heifer Romania, Bóthar Ireland and Danone Romania, with strong financial support from the Danone Ecosysteme investment fund.

Initial cattle beneficiaries are chosen through a lottery system

Project members wait for results of the lottery that determines the first cattle recipients.

The four-year Chance for All project is a socioeconomic program that will assist small farmer communities in five underdeveloped areas of the country.

The project aims to encourage small producers to work together to have long-term profitable businesses based on the production of high-quality milk. This initiative has a major training component, whereby farmers will participate in specialized courses on health, nutrition, and cattle reproduction and milking. This knowledge will enable them to obtain milk that is of European Union-quality standard.

Guests listen to a speaker at the Heifer project launch celebration.

Guests listen to a speaker at the Heifer project launch celebration.

In the first two years, more than 200 heifers will be distributed to 200 farm families. By the end of the project, 800 families will have benefited from the gift of heifers.

Chance for All will be implemented in two stages. The communities of Zimnicea, Cocorastii Colt and Belin will be assisted during the first year. The two remaining areas will be added at the beginning of the second year.

“Danone has made a long-term commitment to Romanian farmers and its partners. Year after year we have invested in sustaining milk production through programs oriented toward all types of farms, such as Danone Farm or Reaching West,” said Dieter Schulz, Danone CEO for Eastern and Southern Europe. “Chance for All is a new investment made by Danone for the sustainable development of Romanian zootechny and an aid for rebuilding, economically, families with low incomes.”

Irish heifers enter the quarantine farm.

Irish heifers enter the quarantine farm aboard two trucks.

“The project follows Heifer International’s main principle, Passing on the Gift®,” said Ovidiu Spinu, country director for Heifer Romania. “The families who receive heifers will pass on the gift, thus the initial support will multiply and the chain of beneficiaries will grow. By sustaining animal breeding, the milk quantity at European Union standards will grow and so will the families’ incomes.”

Bóthar Ireland sent 50 Irish heifers to Romania. They arrived on September 16 and were transported to a quarantine farm by a convoy of two trucks. The 50 farm families were determined by lottery draw and each heifer was sent to its new home on a small specialized vehicle.

Alexe's family welcomes their Irish heifer into its new home.

Alexe's family welcomes their Irish heifer into its new home.

“One month ago we sent the first heifers for the Chance for All project,” said David Moloney, CEO of Bóthar Ireland, in his message for the farmers of Zimnicea. “We loaded the animals somewhere in central Ireland, we crossed the sea to France, we drove over 1,800 miles, stopping twice at the ‘animal hotels’ and finally reached our destination: the quarantine farm in Oradea. Ten-thousand artificial insemination (AI) doses from the Holstein Frisian breed were also sent for this project, to maintain the pure Irish breed in the project’s locations. We hope that the gift from Ireland will bring you only satisfaction and aid you to develop your farm and that over the years, you, too, will be able to make such a gift.”

“Chance for All is a landmark project for all of us, bringing together a diverse set of partners to work with disadvantaged communities to achieve lasting economic and social impact,” said Pietro Turilli, vice president of Heifer’s Central and Eastern Europe program, in his letter of congratulations to the beneficiaries and partners involved in the complex project. “As you are all aware, the challenges for this project are significant, but then again, so are the potential rewards: building more resilient communities and linking them in a sustainable manner to markets through the provision of high-quality livestock, organization of community groups, social and technical training and assistance, and providing access to recognized and reliable market partners.”

With 30 journalists and bloggers attending, the celebration enjoyed good media coverage. Besides comments from local and regional authorities and messages sent from the USA and Ireland, two project members publicly expressed their thanks and commitment to achieving the objectives set for Zimnicea. “It was hard for me to believe that this place where nothing ever happens could become the pilot community for such an important people-oriented project,” said Mariana Moldoveanu, one of Heifer’s newest beneficiaries.

As the ceremony drew to a close and the first animals reached their new homes, we followed Alexe Ilie as his family welcomed their Irish heifer into its new home.

Pin It