Tag Archives: Asia/South Pacific

Zhang Hui’s Hope for His Family

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Zhang Hui's two daughters

by Heifer China

Zhang Hui, his wife, and three children are living in a remote, mountainous village named Baishui in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. The local economy is limited by a shortage of farmland, water resources and poor transportation. The whole family has only two adults who can work. What’s worse, Zhang Hui’s right leg was injured when he was a migrant worker, which prevented him doing some heavy work. Besides, they have three children who are all at primary school, a 6-year old son named Zhang Zijie and two older daughters named Zhang Ming and Zhang Yan. The low production and larger expenditures lead the family to poverty.

Before the project implementation, Zhang Hui only raised 23 natural-fed chickens and 2 pigs. After the Heifer project was implemented on April 16, 2011, he bought 314 chicks with the gift money and started his pheasant breeding industry. Then he joined the self-help group and became a leader. He accepted trainings of 12 Cornerstones and animal husbandry, and acquired skills in corn and rye planting and pheasant breeding. Moreover, the Kaili Science and Technology Bureau provided him 30,000 Yuan to purchase corn seeds as well as have an additional allowance.

“I had acquired some basic knowledge of pheasants breeding when I was in an eco-rearing base in Kaili. At that time I knew it would make money, but I was too poor then. However, Heifer China came; I have the initial capital to do this,” Zhang Hui said. “I wanted something different, so I choose pheasants instead of pigs, and I want to be professional.” With his hard work, plus the material and technical support from the local government and Heifer China, Zhang Hui had a harvest of both crops and pheasant rearing. By selling pheasants, he had an income of 20,150 Yuan.

In the past 3 months, the family has received electricity, built a bio-gas unit, and bought a refrigerator and an egg incubator. Meanwhile, they have upgraded their house into two floors, which provides another 50 square meters of space. While planning the future, Zhang Hui mentioned at present he would enlarge the chicken-rearing scale to gain more income to support his children’s schooling. The eldest daughter dreamed to be a running athlete. She has kept jogging 4 km per day from home to school for nearly one year. 3 children are top students at school. If they want to go to university, Zhang Hui stated he would definitely afford their tuition no matter how hard he and his wife should work.

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. Initially, this series will focus on our programs in Asia/South Pacific, where our colleagues have chosen one family in each region in the countries where we work and will bring us quarterly updates.

The new second floor addition to Zhang Hui's house

Pheasants on Zhang Hui's family farm

Rewriting Haoran’s Story

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China: A family affected by AIDS receives assistance from Heifer International

Zhangmin (left) with her family in Anhui Province, China

by Heifer China

One day when Wang Haoran was in third grade, he remembers his mom quarreled with his dad so badly that no one prepared breakfast for him. He knew his dad had serious illness afterward. But he is too young to know what it is. Actually, his dad is an HIV-infected person, and now the onset of AIDS means that he can not do any work any more. Zhang Min, Haoran’s mom, is a strong woman who carries the whole family on her shoulder.

They live in Wangzhuyuan Village, Jiangji Town of Lixin County, Anhui Province. Zhang Min is 33 years old while her husband is 43. They have two children: 11-year-old Haoran and his 9-year-old sister. There must be a lot of happiness in other children’s memories, but what Haoran remembered is that hundreds of chickens they raised died and they were too sad to have dinner, which made him feel so hungry that day. These chickens are all they had then. We could not understand what they’ve been through, but we know, when Heifer came to the village, Zhang Min said, she regained hope.

Zhang Min earned 5000 RMB (about US $780) to buy 4 goats recently as a Heifer project farmer and took part in the self help group that includes training on livestock management, the 12 Cornerstones, self help group fund management and agriculture techniques. Zhang Min now participants in community activities, such as dancing. In her saying, although they are poor and her husband is sick unfortunately, she is still in love with him and feels full of hope when Heifer encourages her by all means. As for the future, she says the fact that her husband is alive is the best gift for her and she also hopes when the kids grow up one day, they could help her support this family. “That would be good if they can go to college in the future” Zhang Min said. “I don’t want them to be farmers any more.”

This was supposed to be a sad story, but now we could expect it will have a happy ending.

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. Initially, this series will focus on our programs in Asia/South Pacific, where our colleagues have chosen one family in each region in the countries where we work and will bring us quarterly updates.

New Match Brings Hope to Vietnam

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Half of farmers in the Mekong Delta Region of Vietnam live on less than $1 a day. The families in this area struggle with limited land for production, illiteracy, unemployment and lack of clean water and sanitation. As a result, the child malnutrition rate is very high – causing stunted growth and a wide range of diseases.

The main reasons for malnutrition are poor access to resources and lack of awareness about nutrient dense food crops and how to best use available food crops. As malnutrition is intricately linked with poverty and cognitive development of children, decreasing childhood malnutrition in poor farmers’ households is an urgent aspect in the poverty-ending mission of Heifer’s work.
Photo by Matt Bradley, courtesy of Heifer International
Through a special Heifer International matching project, we hope to help more than 4,300 households in the poorest parts of the Mekong Delta region gain self-reliance by providing them with a cow, small animals and extensive training so they can maximize their income from their small farms.
The Vietnamese government has such confidence in our work that it is offering to match more than $765,000 if we can raise an equal amount from our donors. That means every dollar you contribute to Heifer today will have twice the impact, but we must raise a total of $1.3 million to fully fund this important project.
We’ve already raised $236,068 toward our goal. Help us take advantage of the full match by giving today.

An Amazing Woman

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Following the small concrete path, we were surprisedat a lively painted thatched house peacefully surrounded by green paddyfield, pig pen, henhouse and garden of flowers. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lien, the houseowner, welcomed us with her warm smile. Aged 41, Lien is one of 20 self-helpgroup members of the project “Improving the disadvantageous farm households’ capacity in Tra Vinh Province through VBHCD.” She was married to Mr. Nguyen Van Nhut, aged 39. They have oneson named Nguyen Minh Du who is in grade 9. After marriage, the couple wasgiven a 2,000 square meter paddy field from their parents. Working hard on rice farmingand selling their labor in their spare time for several years, the couple afforded an additional 10,000 square meter paddy field by their savings.


Receiving one heifer, therevolving fund and trainings from Heifer Vietnam, Lien was enlightened. She learned how to takecare of her family in a better way and successfully applied modern production techniques. Raising a large swine heard, she built a concrete pig pen and set up awater system to bathe the pigs for more convenience. She also created a recordbook to keep track of every pig’s health. She learned how to make nutritioncake and to store straw for the cow. Furthermore, she grows grass and green vegetables around thehouse for a stable food source for the animals in order for low expense andanimal food security. In addition, she finds that making an action plan plays akey role in the goal of ending poverty. Thanks to applying new techniques inanimal production, her pigs are very healthy and make a good profit for herfamily despite the plague in her neighborhood.


Through the 12 Cornerstonestraining, her family learned many useful things such as improved nutrition offamily meals, sharing and caring among members in the family, children’seducation focus, and full participation in every group activity. With theactiveness and enthusiasm in group activities, she was voted as the leader ofher self-help group. by leading her family with the guide of the 12 Cornerstones,her family is full of warmth, caring and happiness. The family business hasmade a good progress thanks to a well-organized production plan. The relationshipbetween her family and neighbors is stronger by the spirit of caring and sharingwhich is demonstrated by a practical action of sharing some fish after everycatch she has.


Since taking part in the project, there have been some goodchanges in her family. She spends the increasing income on family expenses like meals, daily consumption and her son’s education. She also invests on newcrops and keeps the saving for house repairs. The family atmosphere is cozy. Thecouple discusses and supports each other in farming, house chores and business,while the son helps his parents tend the cow and collect grassand vegetables for the pigs. Nhut supports and motivates Lien to join groupactivities. As a result, she has gained self-confidence and activeness tospeak out in front of the crowd and raise her own ideas of every issue. “Iwould like to express my sincere gratitude to the donors for giving us bothphysical and spiritual strength in order for us to achieve a better life today.Heifer has helped improve our source of income and enabled us to make plans forour goals, to envision for our future, and more importantly, I am a person ofself-confidence and hopefulness.” said Lien.

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. Initially, this series will focus on our programs in Asia/South Pacific, where our colleagues have chosen one family in each region in the countries where we work and will bring us quarterly updates.

Buffalo 1, Buffalo 2, Buffalo 3

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Durga Koirala’s family are farm laborers. The family owns a set ofoxen for draft power. They are her only livestock. Owning oxen makes them alikely choice when landowners are looking for farm hands. Durga became a partof a Heifer project in 2011 and received a lactating buffalo. She has made agood income from the milk in the past couple of months. Durga also received improvedanimal management training from the project. She learned scientific ways ofhousing and feeding the buffalo to maximize milk production. The localCommunity Animal Health Worker (CAHW) also comes by often to check on itshealth and vaccinate. This support structure formed by the project, which alsotrains CAHW‘s and equips them to provide technical and medical support to beneficiariesand their communities.


Durga’s confidence has soared with the knowledge and support shehas received through the project. “I did not have any buffalos. But I am nowaiming to keep three buffalos and make the sale of milk my primary income,”Durga says, beaming. Her buffalo will soon have a calf making the number two.With the savings from the milk sale and a loan from the group fund, Durga hopesto make the number three.

Editor’s note: This post is part of a new series that follows the progress of specific families, starting at the beginning of their work with Heifer. Initially, this series will focus on our programs in Asia/South Pacific, where our colleagues have chosen one family in each region in the countries where we work and will bring us quarterly updates.

In Vietnam, There’s Strong Belief For a Bright Future

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In December 2011, we paid a visit toa family in Heifer project in Binh Thanh village, Thanh Phu district, Ben Treprovince. In front of the clean leaf-thatched house, the wife, Nguyen Thi Diem,warmly welcomed us. Her husband, Tran Van Tuan, was recycling the pond for newshrimp. The couple has three children; two daughters and one son. Theschool-aged eldest daughter dropped out of school and worked in another city tosupport the family. The middle is in grade 6 and the youngest son is at nurseryschool.


Tran told us about the hardshipthat his family endured several years ago. They started the family life withempty hands because their parents were too poor to support them. The couple hadto stay on the land borrowed from a neighbor. After five years working as hiredlaborers, their savings was enough for them to buy a 5,000 square meter paddy field. Itwas not easy for five people living on the income from such a small piece of cultivated land. The couple continued working as hired laborers. Tran also wentfishing and worked as a mason for extra income.

In 2010, the couple joined Heiferproject. The project supported them with a heifer, 1,000 post larvae shrimp and thefunding for a cowshed and income-generating activities. Diem used therevolving fund for duck and chicken production that benefited them with income andeggs for their daily meals. Every day, the husband keeps fishing and working asa mason. He wants to be a skillful mason so that he could build a house by hisown for his family.

Tran attended many technical trainings held by Heifer inwhich he learned how to tend the cow and raise shrimp. “Now I know how to feedthe cow and take care of the cow in breeding season. I also know some symptomsof the heat period and cow’s diseases. My cow is in a good state of heath. She isgoing to give birth next month. The post larvae are growing well. I hope we will gain high profit,” Tran says.

His wife was also eager to join othertrainings of Heifer such as Cornerstones, gender equity, environmentprotection and climate change. “After attending the training onenvironment protection, we decided to build a toilet to keep the surroundingenvironment clean,” Nguyen says. She happily shared with us about the changes of her family afterjoining the project. “My husband is friendlier and more opened to other people.At home, he also helps me with housework. The children also help us cut grass to feed the cow and do some house chores. We are very happy whensharing everything together.”

The couple proudly showed us the meritcertificate of good study records of the middle daughter. In the spirit of sharingand caring, the couple is willing to help other people when needed. They evengave up their round to other fellow group members who need the loan most fromthe group savings fund.


The couple hopes that their animalproduction could give them high profit so that they could realize their dreamof a concrete house and support their children to school. Tran sincerelyexpressed his gratefulness to Heifer for helping his family, “Thanks Heifer somuch for giving us a chance to get rid of poverty. I believe that with Heifer’ssupport, my family will have a big and valuable asset after passing on. Accordingly,I hope that Heifer will thrive and continue to assist more needy farmers whohave the same background like my family.”


Editor’s note: This post is part of a new series that follows the progress of specific families, starting at the beginning of their work with Heifer. Initially, this series will focus on our programs in Asia/South Pacific, where our colleagues have chosen one family in each region in the countries where we work and will bring us quarterly updates.

In Context: Local Eats

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Editor’s note: In Context is a new series designed to inform and educate you on Heifer’s work in each country we have a presence. Every two weeks we’ll tackle a different country and examine unique situations related to hunger and poverty, how Heifer works to address them as well as take some time to explore local culture and traditions.

Most of the time, eating local is the way to go. Besides theobvious benefits, like boosting the local economy, it just plain tastes better.Produce is fresher and we get to eat with the seasons—tasting fruits andveggies at their peak. In Cambodia, much of the cuisine is focused on locallygrown, locally produced foods.


The Cambodian diet consists of mainly rice and fish although noodles are also popular. Rice, which contributes about 68% of daily caloric intake, is a component of nearly every meal and an essential ingredient in many desserts.

Fish makes up 70% of the protein in the Cambodian diet. In fact, fish is so vital to Cambodian culture that the national currency, the riel, is named after a small silver carp that is a dietary staple for many Cambodians.


The popular breakfast dish Num Bahn Choc or Cambodian Morning Soup varies in taste according to region and season. This noodle dish is a great example of eating local. Thebasic ingredients to this soupy, rice-y noodle dish are the same: fermentedfish paste, rice and noodles. The rest of the ingredients however, are a combination ofherbs, vegetables and greens available at that morning’s market.

A farmer’s market in Cambodia
A Peek Inside the Pantry
Mint, coriander and lemongrass traditionally flavor fish,rice and noodles but a true Cambodian meal also includes:
Prahok, a fermented fish paste, which is used in a varietyof ways and is found in nearly every dish.

Kroeung is a spice paste made up of star anise, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and turmeric.

Morning Glory (also known as swamp cabbage or water spinach)is used as a vegetable but is actually an herb. Grows in marshy areas. Tasteslike spinach.
Cooked Morning Glory
Photo by Andy Wright, courtesy of Creative Commons

Kabocha or “Cambodian Pumpkin” is a winter squash, broughtto Cambodia by the Japanese in the 1500s. It’s sweeter than butternut squashwith a texture that’s a cross between pumpkin and sweet potato.

Kabocha
Photo by The Unseasoned Wok, courtesy of Creative Commons
Slek Bas or Vine vegetable/Ivy gourd is a leafy green looks like a lot like Morning Glory but tastes like a mix of spinach and watercress.


A Calf Pays for Schooling: Photo of the Week

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Kuala Trang Village, Indonesia: Ayun feeds his grandfather’s calf. The community gave the calf to his grandfather with the understanding that the proceeds would pay for Ayun’s schooling, as both of his parents were killed in the 2006 Tsunami. Ayun himself could not own the cow directly because he lost all his identity papers in the Tsunami and was too young.

Photo by Trevor Snapp, courtesy of Heifer International

Ganga – A Leader in the Making

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Ganga Ale, 41 is an active member of a Heifer project in Tanahu, Nepal. She received 5 goats from Heifer along with training on Heifer’s Cornerstones, group management, improved animal management, gender and commercial vegetable production. Ganga was specially touched by the Cornerstones. Her confidence increased after the training, having found a new sense of purpose.


Ganga is one of the few fortunate women in this rural community to have had the opportunity to go to school. She has completed the 8th grade, making her the most educated women in the group and perhaps in the community. “I felt like I had a greater responsibility towards my group members and the village. I have education as a tool to help them excel,” says Ganga explaining her sense of purpose. She has been very active in her community speaking for women and for small farmers. She hopes to do more in the future.


Ganga’s daughter, Yamuna (18), says, “I am proud of my mother. She is very active socially.” Ganga’s husband Kesh Bahadur, 42, also supports Ganga’s new purpose in life. “She has always fulfilled her responsibility towards her family. I encourage her to do the same for her community.”


Editor’s note: This post is part of a new series that follows the progress of specific families, starting at the beginning of their work with Heifer. Initially, this series will focus on our programs in Asia/South Pacific, where our colleagues have chosen one family in each region in the countries where we work and will bring us quarterly updates.

In Context: Cambodia

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Editor’s note: In Context is a new series designed to inform and educate you on Heifer’s work in each country we have a presence. Every two weeks we’ll tackle a different country and examine unique situations related to hunger and poverty, how Heifer works to address them as well as take some time to explore local culture and traditions.
Photo by Jennifer Phoon, used under Creative Commons



Overview

Population: 15 million
Native greeting: Choum Reap Sour (hello)
Capital: Phnom Penh
Official language: Khmer
Local currency: Riel

Cambodia, nicknamed the Kingdom of Wonder, is located on theGulf of Thailand in Southeast Asia between Vietnam, Laos and Thailand; thecountry’s landscape is made up of low lying central plains, low mountains andthe upper reaches of the Mekong Delta.
It’s a land in recovery. Rich in history and naturalresources, Cambodia is influenced by decades of war and conflict. Ranked 139thout of the world’s 196 countries on the 2011 HumanDevelopment Index, it’s considered one of the poorest countries in theworld.
Despite recent socio-economics progress, 31% of thecountry’s estimated 14.8 million people live on less than $1.25 a day—that’s 4.6million men, women and children. To add a little perspective, it would be as ifevery person in South Carolina (population 4.6 million) had only $1.25 a day totake care of all necessary expenses—we’re talking basic food, water andshelter.
In Cambodia, 80% of the population lives in rural areas andhalf of the workforce is employed in agriculture, the country’s major industry.Rice farming is huge and many villagers raise cattle and pigs. However, due toslow growth and high mortality rates combined with a lack of education and accessto new technologies, productivity is slow and many families can only produceenough food for a few months out of the year. When food is in short supply, manyfarmers end up borrowing money from lenders, usually with interest rates ashigh as 10%.
Photo by: Sylvain Raybaud, used under Creative Commons
Adding fuel to the fire, malnutrition rates in Cambodiansare among the highest in Asia. Nearly 40% of children are chronicallymalnourished and have deficiencies in iron, vitamin A and iodine.
Fish is the most common source of protein for Cambodians butfarmers lack adequate experience in aquaculture. The daily catch almost alwayscomes from natural ponds, canals and rice fields, contributing to a declining fish population.

It’s not all bleak though, in the last decade, the economyhas seen progress. While still low, the per capita income is slowly increasingthanks in part to the growth of agriculture.
Heifer’s approach inCambodia
Photo by: Matt Bradley courtesy of Heifer International

Livestock Portfolio:Cows, Buffalo, goats, chickens, ducks, pigs and fish fingerlings
Technology portfolio:Organic farming, biogas and composting
Issues addressed:Income generation, migration, adult literacy, women and leadership,environment, HIV/AIDS and domestic violence
To address the challenges of income deficiency, lack ofnutritional food options and small farmer education, Heifer Cambodia uses a holisticdevelopment approach that encourages rural families to become involved in thecommunity development process. To begin with, families receive a package ofagricultural inputs, like a cow or two piglets, fish fingerlings, fodder,vegetable seeds and cassava stems, apply the HeiferCornerstones, receive education and training in technical skills so thatthey are able to improve and diversify their food production in a sustainablemanner. This process builds up self-confidence and provides a way to beself-reliant for a better future.
Heifer Cambodia works with small farmers to improve productivityand provide access to markets. Heifer enables limited-resource farm families toimprove the quality of their lives and equips them to assist others, providingopportunities for families to produce and share food and income from their ownresources in ways that are economically and ecologically sound. Based onHeifer’s best practice on internalized holistic development, the participatingfamilies form and work as self help groups, which encourages fullparticipation.
Since 1999, Heifer Cambodia has assisted 10,926 families