Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Why did the chicken cross the road? To meet up with the duck and goose on their way to ending hunger and poverty around the world, of course. That may not be how you remember the story, but it is happening every day thanks to generous donors like you.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Rudik, a 12-year-old and the “man of the family” since his father died several years ago, learned how to run a business and take care of chickens as a member of Heifer’s Yes! Youth Clubs in Armenia. Now he has a growing chicken farm and dreams of providing his mother and sister with ever comfort of a happy life.

Huynh Van Thong, 11 year old, holds a duck in the Tan Hung Commune of Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Sarom Chou and her husband live with their four children in Cambodia. They once depended on rice to live, but it was never enough. They now raise ducks and chickens. They use the manure for compost, improving their land quality and crop production, and use the increased crop production to feed their animals. It’s a win-win. Sarom said, “Before joining the project, we only had income from our small grocery shop, but now we have diversified income from homestead gardening and poultry that keeps increasing. We have enough money to invest in our children’s education.”

source: www.incredibleegg.org

Chickens, duck and geese provide many benefits including manure and additional income, as mentioned above; but even more important for the families now eating more eggs are the vitamins and protein they are receiving. As you can see in the chart, you can’t beat the protein from eggs.

Eggs contain all the essential protein, minerals and vitamins, except Vitamin C. Egg yolks are one of few foods that naturally contain Vitamin D. Eggs also contain choline, which is necessary for healthy cell membranes in the body. Choline stimulates brain development and function and helps preserve memory. Eggs also are good for your eyes because they contain lutein, which helps prevents age-related cataracts and muscular degeneration. In fact, eggs contain more lutein than spinach and other green vegetables.

And who doesn’t love eggs?

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Donate to help impoverished families have eggs every day with chickens, ducks or geese today.

Protein-packed eggs from these small animals can make a life-saving difference. Imagine what a flock can do.

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.

From the Field: Heifer’s Work Around the World

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

Thinking outside the box, being open to doing things differently, can be the tipping point to success. Heifer’s work is carried out by innovative people who are constantly thinking of ways to improve their methods and reap even more success.

Bees and their honey make life sweet for coffee farmers in Guatemala

Since bees joined the coffee farming activities of Guatemala’s Tuiboch village, honey has become a sweet bonus business. Read Bees Improve Yield for Guatemala Coffee Farmers to learn more.

Staff from Heifer Poland and the Polish Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Public Affairs were on hand to celebrate the opening of two new projects in Armenia. Find out how this bi-national collaboration means successful project implementation in Fruitful Partnership Betwen Armenia and Poland Leads to Tangible Results.

Empowering a Remote Village to Improve Livelihoods tells how Lin Fengchen, a farmer in China’s rural Sangfang village, encouraged skeptical villagers to join a chicken raising cooperative. In addition to building a brand, Jianmenguan Natrual-Fed Chicken, cooperative members have dramatically increased their income through diverse and sustainable agriculture activities.

Around the Web: A Single Goat Can Make A Difference

Every Sunday we will highlight some of the people who are funding our work creatively or helping us spread the word of our mission online. If you spot Heifer International while you’re surfing the web or know of a fun or creative fundraising effort, please share it with us here in the comments.

Photo courtesy of www.pallensmith.com

Award-winning garden expert P. Allen Smith wrote a great post on his blog about  Heifer Ranch and its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)  program.

Kara O’Brien of the Harry Potter Alliance writes about the difference a single goat or flock of chickens can make in her blog post, Headed for a Brighter Future.

Photo courtesy of dailyitem.com

A big thank you to the youth from St. John’s United Church of Christ in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania, recently collected enough money through their Joyful Noise Offering to purchase a cow that will be sent to a family in need through Heifer International.

Alamance Presbyterian Church’s youth group stayed several days at Overlook Farm,  Heifer International’s learning center in Rutland, Massachusetts. There are several great blog posts about it, but this one’s headline caught my eye: Day Two: Poop and Fences. How could you not read that?

Heifer International is featured on the Inspiring Generosity blog, with a post that discusses how we use our digital content to inspire and share our story. It’s a great behind-the-scenes-look at one aspect of our communications efforts.

 

El Pollo y el Gusano on Cinco de Mayo

Once a week we will be featuring a fun and/or educational activity you can try at home or in the classroom. This week we are celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a Spanish lesson.

Today is Cinco de Mayo, the perfect day to share the Spanish version of The Chicken and the Worm, or El Pollo y el Gusano, written by Page McBrier, New York Times Best-Selling author. She drew from her own experiences with Heifer project partners to write books for Heifer International, inlcuding this one.

The book will introduce your child to chickens and worms and what they do for the Earth. And, if your child doesn’t speak Spanish, It’s a great opportunity to introduce him or her to a foreign language in a fun way.The Chicken and the Worm

In the book, the chicken and the worm, along with you and your child, learn about everything they have in common, and how they both care for the Earth in their own special ways.

You can use the Google translator and figure out the words as you go, or you can view the English version for comparison.

If you enjoyed this activity, you can find several lesson plans related to this book in the Classroom Resources section of our website in Spanish or English (look under Pre-K & Kindergarten), as well as other books and activities in Spanish.

¡Buena suerte y diviértete!

When a Sacrifice Doesn’t Feel Like a Sacrifice

Linda and her Mountain Dew

Me, 25 years ago, with my Mountain Dew and a college friend. I've been a longtime fan.

Lent is quickly coming to an end and I bet you all have been wondering if I stuck to my Lenten sacrifice of no Mountain Dews.

Well… I am happy to say that I have successfully abstained. Admittedly, it was pretty hard the first week or two or three but I survived the headaches and found other ways to supplement my caffeine habit. I was even able to cut down drastically on caffeine and sodas in general. Something I hope to stick to even after Easter.

And… I’m feeling great about it, physically and emotionally. Throughout my life, I’ve given up a variety of things for Lent, even Mountain Dew in past years, and this was absolutely the easiest time I’ve had. Whenever I found myself craving aMilk and Eggs Alleviate Poverty - (Project # 27-0629-01) Mountain Dew I immediately thought of the $1.50 that I was going to be able to put in my cup and how much that cup of change was going to help a family in need somewhere in the world.

My $1.50-a-day, $60 total gift may not seem like much, but with it I am buying three flocks of chicks. Those chicks mean there will be enough eggs to eat, sell and share, ensuring the health and well being of an entire family, and possibly even a community. I was curious to learn exactly what my chicks could do, so I searched past blog posts and and ran across this one about what a gift of chickens really did for farmers in Ghana, written by World Ark Senior Staff Writer Annie Bergman who was actually there to see it for herself.

I can’t wait ’til next year when I get to do this again.