At approximately 1:45 pm today, 70 purebred cows landed at the airport in Timisoara, Romania. These heifers flew from Ireland to be integrated into a food security project for orphans and poor families in central and western Romania through a partnership between Heifer International and Bothar Ireland. Bothar is part of a network of non-governmental organizations that use livestock in development aid. It is also sensitive to children’s needs and has experience helping children in Central and Eastern European countries.
Image by Geoff Oliver Bugbee
“I named her Patience because I have a lot of patience with her,” he said through a translator.
Francois gave his cow good water to drink and pasture to graze and soon she became pregnant and gave him a beautiful calf. Before long he was able to milk Patience. Every 15 days he is paid 1,500 Gourdes ($37.50 U.S.) for the milk, money which he used to complete his secondary education.
Francois lives in the small community of Fort-Royal in the Petit Goave region of Haiti. There is no secondary school in the community, and when he was younger his father did not have funds to pay for him to finish his school in the nearby city. But with the milk Patience provided, Francois was able to return to school and now, at age 30, he has a certificate which will allow him to go to university.
Patience’s first calf was designated for Passing On The Gift, but her second, born just 22 days ago, is his to keep. In time it is his dream that the milk the cows provide will allow him to save up enough money to attend university.
But it is not just his life that Patience has changed. In addition to giving away Patience’s first offspring, every day Francois gives his neighbors a little of the milk he collects.
“If I didn’t have Patience I couldn’t help other people,” he said. “So Patience helps me to help other people.”
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In the years leading up to the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Poghosyan family was one of the friendliest and hardest working families in the village of Nerqin Hand in the Syunik region of Armenia. Arkadi Poghosyan was doing his best to support his family. Every evening when he came home from work, his children ran happily to him.
Every evening the family all gathered together and enjoyed their supper in a warm and friendly atmosphere around the fireplace in winter and in the open-air balcony in summer.
The Poghosyans were very happy. Respect, love and mutual understanding were reigning in every corner of their house. They couldn’t even guess what fate had prepared for them.
It was a cold winter morning when the grievous news spread all over the village: Arkadi had been killed in the war.
The heavy burden of the family fell to Arkadi’s wife, Anush. She had to support her four children and her father-in-law. Arkadi’s eldest son, Vardan, was 16 then. He understood that it was very hard for his mother to carry the family burden alone; he knew that he was to help the family overcome the difficulties. It was indeed hard for young Vardan to work in the barn, in the garden and in the field, as he even did not know how to use a scythe.
The grandfather insisted on giving up livestock farming as he was too old to help Anush and Vardan. On the other hand, Vardan was too young to run the farm alone and Anush could not manage to do it together with the daily housework and children’s care.
Though the war had ended, many Armenians were suffering from post-war hunger and poverty. Only one cow was left to feed and support the family.
Vardan grew up, served in the army, and took the responsibility as breadwinner of the family. He had a vision in his mind, to have a happy and large family as once they used to have when his father was still alive. Soon he married Hermine, a beautiful young lady from the neighboring village, and they became parents of two wonderful children.
Vardan was doing his best to support his family of seven. When Heifer Armenia started a program in Nerqin Hand, Vardan’s family was on the list of future project participants. In November 2008 the Poghosyans received a cow from Heifer Armenia.
 Now Vardan’s children, Aren, 4, and Arkadi, 5 months, have fresh milk and other dairy products every day. The family sometimes sells some of the milk to buy other products. Their cow has given birth to two calves, one male and one female.
Vardan’s vision of an ideal family has become reality. Now the Poghosyans live a happy and carefree life as they did once many years ago. They enjoy wonderful sunny mornings in the summer and warm and cheerful evenings in the winter in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot tasty tea prepared with mint and other herbs gathered from the Syunik fields and mountains.
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| The Kiboga West Dairy Plant, which processes 8,000 litres of milk per day and serves 1,500 farmers |
At today’s event, Heifer CEO Pierre Ferrari told the attendees about his trip this past December to visit some of the EADD projects. Pierre holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and he said he was impressed with the farmers he met. Through EADD, these burgeoning entrepreneurs were selling their surplus milk and participating in the regional economy. “The rapidity at which they were learning and implementing these business practices was remarkable,” Pierre said.
You can join an ongoing conversation about food security and related issues at USAID’s new Agrilinks Blog. There, you can also view and download today’s presentation.
And now it’s your turn. Should programs like this East Africa dairy initiative be implemented elsewhere? Could this same model be applied to other food commodities? Leave your ideas in the comments below.
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| Farmers pedal away after delivering milk to the Kiboga West Livestock Cooperative chilling plant in Uganda. |
We agree wholeheartedly. Since its inception in 1944, Heifer International’s mission has been to end hunger and poverty by working directly with smallholder farmers, providing gifts of livestock and training that improve nutrition and cultivate individual entrepreneurship.
But, why farming? Gates explains in his post...
“Many people don’t realize it, but most of the world’s poorest people are small farmers. They get their food and income farming small plots of land. These farming families often don’t have good seeds, equipment, reliable markets, or money to invest that helps them get the most out of their land. So they work hard, but they get no traction, and more often than not, they stay hungry and poor.”
He goes on to state, “smart investments in farming families help them become more self sufficient.” Heifer’s model of sustainable development has proven this approach works.
This is a message the world needs to hear, and we need your help in sharing it. The Gates Foundation is issuing a challenge for you to create a compelling message – using your design, film making, or writing skills – that shows why investing in small farmers is good for the world, then submit your work for possible inclusion in the Gates Foundation website, blog or social media platforms.
Pelina Lubumbe, with adopted daughter Anna, thanks
Click here to hear the song they asked to share with you, the donor who supports them in their hard work to break out of poverty.
In Tigwirizane, Zambia, the 28 original participants of the Fisenge dairy cattle group (phase 2) continue to celebrate the success that started in 2004 when they each received two dairy cows from Heifer International.
In the video above, Heifer Zambia Country Director James Kasongo walks through the stages of a Heifer project, using a diorama outside the main office in Lusaka to explain the changes that occur step by step as participants leave insecurity, hunger and poverty behind to become powerful, confident business owners who fully support themselves and their families.
Kasongo says Heifer Zambia cannot begin to meet the powerful demand from those in need throughout the country for its life-changing Pass on the Gift model. “Know that we are very ambitious in our fundraising efforts and are working to find partners so we can reach out to more and more in need,” Kasongo said.
World Ark is traveling in Zambia this week to learn more about women’s dairy cattle projects in the Copperbelt region. Many area residents, once dependent on mining employment, are finding that knowledge of agriculture and animal husbandry are key to their income and nutrition as the mines close and jobs become scarce.
Country Director James Kasongo at his Lusaka office.