Tag Archives: Cornerstones

From the Field: Building Strong Foundations

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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 make lasting changes, Heifer International continues to base its mission, to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth, on the 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development and Passing on the Gift (POG). By emphasizing community involvement, sharing and caring, Heifer’s approach lays the foundation for sustainable sources of food and income worldwide.

IWD in Nepal - Vickie Clarke

Nepali women celebrate their success on International Women’s Day as they march through their villages. Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Holding signs that read, “Women are the key to community development,” Nepali women celebrated International Women’s Day by marching together through their villages. Through accountability and leadership development, numerous women have established a deep commitment to the Cornerstones. More than 20,000 original families have benefited from this dedication in just over one year.

Heifer Philippines held 12 Cornerstones Workshops in that country’s Caraga region preparing participants for involvement in the area’s first dairy project. The project will reach 400 original partner families and another 800 families through POG. After the workshops, participants agreed that the Cornerstones helped them realize the value of working together and how to nuture that gift. 

Hmayak Najaryan, 40, of Khachaghbyur, Armenia, was trying to support his wife and two sons on little more than $100 a month. In partnership with Ashtarak Kat CJSC, Heifer Armenia provided alfalfa seeds, a milk cooling tank and artificially inseminated the family’s cow. Now Hmayak’s sons, who want to become educated professionals, have a stronger foundation on which to grow and dream.

Learn how you can help provide families with a strong foundation.

Community Development Required to Strengthen Small Farmers

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Yesterday I shared with you some thoughts about how smallholder farmers must be strengthened so they can help feed the world’s growing population. Today, I want to share with you the importance of community development.

Economic growth for its own sake is not a solution. For economic growth to make sense and to make lasting change, there has to be community development—it must contribute to a better life for the least of us just as much as it improves life for those of us with the most.

For Heifer, community development comes through training in our Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development. These values, such as gender equity, full participation, sharing and caring, accountability and training and education, are the backbone of our work.

Community Development through Heifer's Cornerstones

Community Development through Heifer's Cornerstones. Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

Embedded into a family’s life and culture, these values create significant social change. Women gain their voice and become leaders in their communities. Husbands learn respect and help their wives. Co-ops form, savings accounts are created and, in time, entire communities, entire countries change.

Community development is the foundation for market development, and building social capital and ensuring gender equity is the highest form of pro-poor development.

Without community development, market development doesn’t last. Market development typically works against the poor, so Heifer International provides the structure and tools families need to compete fairly. These include resources such as animals and training to help them achieve resilience, but we also provide them access to others in the value chain that add value and provide access to cash. These are critical needs, not nice to haves for these smallholder farm families.

We call this Heifer’s Healthy Hoofprint—and it creates material change such as increases in income and nutrition; attitudinal change in values and social norms, where farmers who once isolated themselves now collaborate and cooperate; and external change, including changes in laws and policies by governments and other NGOs.

But it’s got to be about more than income, it’s also about what that income means to them, how it helps improve their lives beyond basic needs. It’s about more than helping them grow more food. It’s about helping them grow better food—more nutritious, more diverse, providing a year-around diet that supports three protein-laden meals every day of every month. There can be no more lean months.

Community development creates individual and collective prosperity.

Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

It’s about helping them help cool and improve the planet, using more organic fertilizers like manure from their animals, implementing good sanitary practices—using latrines and protecting water supplies. It’s about empowering women to their proper place and role—equal partners in progress and profits, and as leaders. We must ensure they have a say in their education, contribute to decisions in the household, have mobility and unfettered access to services and markets—equality in all they do and seek.

There must be other intangibles—key pieces of community development—as well. There is strength in numbers, so we must help them behave collectively, for the good of the community as well as the good of the family. There must be social inclusion and trust, especially trust. We see that in our projects that continue to heal the wounds of war and conflict in Rwanda, Kosovo and Cambodia.

We, and others who support us, believe our attention to community development, alongside asset development, contributes to our success. As families use our livestock to increase food production and diversity, the Cornerstones foster change that spans generations. In some communities, we are seeing families celebrate 13 generations of Passing on the Gift.

Sheep as agents of community development.

Sheep as agents of community development. Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

Imagine that. One sheep became two, then four, then eight. After 13 generations, that is 4,096 sheep and 4,096 additional families benefitting from the original sheep and training. That’s impact!

Come back tomorrow to the Heifer Blog to learn about how measuring our impact is key to demonstrating the changes created by our work.

Beyond Hunger Event Celebrates Women’s Empowerment

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I am in California where this evening I will be a part of Beyond Hunger: A Place at the Table. This event is an extraordinary opportunity to honor Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson for their awesome dedication to Heifer International, and to raise awareness of the ongoing need to empower women.

Because I feel so strongly about the importance of providing opportunities to women, many of my blogs feature this topic. I wrote that Investment in Women Farmers IS Priority for Heifer; but at Heifer, we don’t just say it is important, our actions demonstrate our commitment.

Heifer CEO, Pierre Ferrari in Nepal

In August, Heifer CEO, Pierre Ferrari met with a women's self-help group in Nepal.

Gender and Family Focus is one of Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones and empowerment for women is  an integral component of our projects. Gender equity (the notion that women, men, girls and boys are valued equally and have the same opportunities to achieve their potential) is an important, key element of our programmatic work. Heifer has developed a two-part strategic approach: mainstreaming and understanding the cultural aspects that prevent gender equity. Mainstreaming ensures that women’s (and men’s) concerns, priorities and experiences are an integral part of the entire project cycle: the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project. Through training, Heifer is able to address the cultural systems, procedures, norms, beliefs, practices and attitudes that perpetuate gender inequality. These approaches allow for bridging the existing gaps between women and men.

Women in Cambodia in August 2012

Heifer CEO, Pierre Ferrari, was present in Cambodia when several women participating in Heifer projects received certificates for completing their training.

I recently returned from a visit to India, Nepal and Cambodia; and for the first time, I met women who were in the beginning stages of Heifer projects. These women were shy, and their husbands dominated the conversations. They were such a contrast to other women whose stories I have previously shared, such as Dolores Delgado from Peru or the Women’s Group Coordination Committee (WGCC) in Nepal. But I know that this contrast will not last, and these timid women will become transformed after they complete their Cornerstones and Values Based Holistic Development trainings.

It’s unbelievable that even though women make up more than half the total number of small farmers in the world, produce between 60 and 80 percent of the food in most developing countries, they still struggle for access to basic resources and services. Gender equity should be the norm; with your help Heifer will continue to work toward making that a reality.

So tonight, as we celebrate the stories of hope and inspiration and reflect on the work that is yet to be done, we recognize that together, we can change the world. And, even if you will not be able to attend this event, I ask that you join us in this pledge for the future to help empower women to achieve their dreams of life without hunger and poverty.

Heifer Cornerstones for All Ages in Vietnam

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Children Learn Cornerstones in Vietnam

Children learn Cornerstones in Vietnam

Story and photos by: Phan Nguyen Khanh Trang, Program Officer, Heifer Vietnam

Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development are the key values and principles of Heifer’s work to improve the livelihoods of poor farmers and build communities holistically. Over the past few years, the Cornerstones have been the compass that guides project activities to achieve the greatest possible impact.

On July 22, Heifer Vietnam and its project partners held a Cornerstones introduction in Vietnam’s Tan Long village, Vinh Long province. The audience consisted of children ages 4-12, who attend local primary and secondary schools. “Our children enjoy learning about the 12 Cornerstones,” said course instructor Mr. Hai. “This is a useful activity for the children, especially during the summer.”

At 90 minutes, the introduction was brief enough for the children to understand the Cornerstones. They learned how to practice and apply the values in their everyday lives. Specifically, they were taught that they can study hard, assist their parents with chores, help friends in need and contribute to keeping their homes and environment clean.

The training included many games, giving the children an opportunity to play and practice the Cornerstones. They enjoyed drawing and coloring, solving jigsaw puzzles, and question and answer sessions. “I love the puzzle game,” said Chi, a student. “This is the first time I’ve played it. I will improve the environment by sweeping our house and growing more flowers regularly.”

The children’s eyes shined with eagerness when they talked about their plans. Seven-year-old Cuong said, “I would like to be a good person. I’ll help elder people cross the street and give my friends a lift when they have to walk to school.” Twelve-year-old Dinh Phat Loc added, “I would like to become a doctor to help cure as many sick people as possible.”

Tuyet Nga, the father of a project participant, used to think the 12 Cornerstones were reserved for project members. “Now I know that the 12 Cornerstones are applicable and practical for people of all ages,” he said. “Thank you, Heifer, for caring not only for our physical lives, but our spiritual lives, as well. I hope Heifer will have more meaningful activities for us in the future.”