Why Water Buffalo?

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Annie Bergman

It is truly astounding how each gift of livestock can change the lives of Heifer participants all around the world. I’ve seen it each time I’ve traveled for work. But I’ve never been more impressed than when I saw some water buffalo projects on my trip to Cambodia in 2010.

San Pheap, 12, Sok Phong, 7, and Sieng Hai, 6, on a water buffalo in Chrey Krem, Cambodia.

Imposing creatures to be sure, water buffalo are actually quite gentle and patient (as you can see from the photo above as this animal allowed three little boys to ride on her back). It was really fun to watch Seng Ouy bathe his family’s water buffalo. The animal’s reaction to the bath reminded me a lot of what my basset hound looks like when I put him in the tub to wash him down.

Water buffalo are prized in Cambodia. Often too expensive for smallholder farmers to purchase on their own, water buffalo often serve as “living tractors” for farming families in Southeast Asia. The draft animals can help families plant up to five times more crops than they would be able to plant by hand. And rice planting is backbreaking work.

Seng Ouy, 19, washes the family's water buffalo.

The gentle giants also provide families with milk rich in calcium and protein that can transform malnourished children. Plus, the fats in buffalo milk make it ideal for processing into cheeses that also help build strong bones.

Another benefit families see from water buffalo is manure. Adult water buffalo produce about six tons of manure a year, and for families that have biogas digesters, that manure provides precious methane to power cook stoves and lamps.

Give the gift of a water buffalo today. You’ll be providing a family with a valuable tool that will give them plenty in return.

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.

Llamas: Funny Looking, Seriously Improving Lives

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Linda Meyers

Sure, llamas and alpacas are fun to look at. Those big eyes, buck teeth, lanky necks make for quite a sight. I’ve always had a thing for their goofy faces, thick coats of fur and quirky personalities.

Photo by Jake Lyell, courtesy of Heifer International

Not only are they fun to look at, they are very important to the people living in the Andes Mountains of South America. Like their distant cousin the camel, they are pack animals and can travel far with little water. They eat many different types of vegetation and are durable and dependable even in the sparse mountainous terrain of the rural highlands.

Photo by Jake Lyell, courtesy of Heifer International

In addition to doing hard labor as beasts of burden, llamas and alpacas make a huge impact on many aspects of life in the Andes. Their wool is used to make coats, scarves and clothes to keep families warm. The wool is grease-free, warm and luxurious, so it is very marketable, and families can earn a steady income by selling it to others.

Photos by Christian DeVries, courtesy of Heifer International

Llamas have a relatively low protein requirement and an efficient digestive system (similar to a cow), they are easier to feed than other animals that size. Their calm nature also makes them easier to handle. They are sure-footed and make good pack animals. You may be surprised to learn that their two-toed foot and soft pad gives them a low environmental impact, especially for their size. How about that? Environmentally friendly feet. A perfect animal for Heifer coincides with our mission to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth.

Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International

Because of harsh conditions in the rural highlands, many people are living here in poverty. Heifer International has targeted this population and their livelihoods by helping increase the genetic diversity of their alpacas and llamas, improving fodder crops and distributing new livestock. Along with the gifts of llamas, participants receive trainings to better care for their animals themselves and to improve all aspects of their lives.

Give the gift of a llama now.

You’ll be providing a struggling family with a lifetime of opportunities.

Still don’t know what to give? Check out our entire online Gift Catalog.

Sustainability at Heifer International: Part 2

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Pierre Ferrari

At Heifer International, “sustainability” is much more than a buzzword. It’s at the core of everything we do. If your donation isn’t going to make a lasting difference, what’s the point of giving? As I mentioned in my blog post Thursday, Heifer’s work can be viewed through three lenses of sustainability. This post is the second in a three-part series to examine what genuine sustainability looks like at Heifer International. Read Part 1 here.

Sustainability: The capacity to endure

Heifer’s work is made possible through the contributions of individuals, families, congregations, civic groups, schools, private foundations, corporate partners, government entities and others. What a shame it would be if these generous gifts, once given, became obsolete. The beauty of our model, however, is that the original recipients of a project’s livestock, agricultural resources and training are committed to Passing on the Gift in equal quantity and quality.

Sustainability through Passing on the Gift in China. Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

Watch Alton Brown explain how gifts to Heifer International exemplify sustainability through Passing on the Gift:

This process happens a minimum of one time per project. Would you believe that the average project’s gifts are passed on for five or six (livestock) generations? In Nepal, some projects have Passed on the Gift 13 times. These extra pass-ons aren’t at the requirement of our project staff; they happen because families and communities are so transformed by these gifts, they want to keep paying it forward. Now that’s making a donation last.

Check back on the Heifer Blog tomorrow for Part 3 of this Sustainability at Heifer series. Better yet, subscribe to the blog by email or RSS feed and keep up with Heifer every day.

Want to give the gift of genuine sustainability? Visit our online gift catalog now.

Around the Web: Beatrice’s Goat, Cow Puja, Effective Giving

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Linda Meyers

Every Sunday we 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.

Building Faith online Christian Ed community mentions Beatrice’s Goat, a book by Page McBrier, among a list of several great Stewardship Books for Children. This book tells story of a girl and the difference the gift of an animal from Heifer makes in the life of a community.

Photo credit: Squash Blossom Farm

The 2nd Annual Cow Puja and Farm Fair was held September 30 at Squash Blossom Farm, and the awesome cookies pictured here were up for grabs in exchange for a donation to Heifer International. Thanks to the cooks, Bethany and Brendan! See more pics from this fun and festive day!

Diane Lane, a longtime supporter, talks about filming the PBS documentary “Half the Sky” and a bit about her experience with Heifer International.

You may want to check out this blog on the Provident Planning blog, What’s the Most Effective Way to Give? The blogger and his wife, who have donated to Heifer, outline their priorities on deciding where a donation will make the biggest difference.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School students in Dunedin, Florida, raised more than $1,000 during its “moo” service learning initiative to buy two cows for hungry families and communities in developing countries through Heifer International. To raise the money, students sold cookies and milk during snack time and after Mass in September, and made and sold cow-print hair bows and awareness ribbons.

Holiday Shopping Madness Gives Way to #GivingTuesday

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Kelly MacNeil

Holiday shopping is probably the last thing on your mind right now, in mid-September, although some stores are already setting out their Christmas displays while temperatures linger in the 80s.

As the retailers set their sights on consumer dollars, a group of first-class charities is hoping to change the conversation about holiday spending. They’re proposing a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and they’re calling it Giving Tuesday.

Heifer International knows a little something about making holiday shopping more meaningful. Heifer receives the bulk of its contributions through its catalog of animal gifts, and many of those gifts come in the holiday season, when people are searching for a present that actually reflects their values.

The people who choose to direct their holiday dollars toward Heifer International gifts, rather than a video game system or an expensive handbag, make a huge difference to thousands of struggling families. The animals provide nutrition, yes, but more importantly they serve as a sort of small business that will be perpetuated and bring the family into self-reliance.

Giving Tuesday will be celebrated on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which this year is Nov. 27, 2012. Nonprofits like the American Red Cross, Kiva, and the UN Foundation are honoring the day as the kickoff to the season of giving.

Heifer thinks this sounds like an idea whose time has come.

Tell us in the comments box below how you plan to make your holiday shopping this year more meaningful.

Cash in Your Shoes

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Brooke Edwards

Heifer International CEO Pierre Ferrari blogged about his Day Without Shoes to honor the people we serve. In an effort to support our Heifer recipients around the world, would you consider making a gift to Heifer International by donating the cost of a pair of shoes in your closet?

One Day Without Shoes

Reality Check for Hollywood

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Maegan Clark

After working all day at Heifer on social media and various other tasks, I like to unwind at night by reading celebrity gossip. Yes, it’s my secret guilty pleasure that I try to keep to myself but I’ve been doing it so long that it’s just become a habit.

Checking to see which celebrities are tweeting, what they’re wearing on the red carpets, who’s breaking up and who’s going to rehab provides me with 10-15 minutes a day of a brief escape from the seriousness of life.

The only problem is that after I’ve read some of the celebrities, I start to think back to what I do at Heifer everyday and start to feel like there is a disconnect between Hollywood and what is going on in the real world.

Recently, reality celebrity Kim Kardashian received a 20.5 karat engagement ring estimated at $2 million. Now, I’m sure that’s just pocket change to her NBA basketball player fiance, but it got some of us in the office thinking…what could $2 million dollars do if donated to Heifer?

$2 Million Dollars could equal:

12,500 Chickens……………………………………….x $20 each =$250,000

5,000 Hope Gift Basket……………………………x $50 each =$250,000

1,000 Water Buffalo…………………………………x $250 each =$250,000

500 Heifers…………………………………………..x $500 each =$250,000

250 Milk Menagerie………………………………x $1,000 each =$250,000

100 Gift Ark s…………………………………………x $5,000 each =$500,000

25 Livestock Development…………………..x$10,000 each =$250,000

How many families would that help? Thousands upon thousands without a doubt. Then each one of those single gifts would multiple and be sent to another family in need. After that the second family would be able to lift their family out of poverty and hunger. What next? You now have a community who is working together, feeding themselves and providing a future for their family.

Maybe it’s time for Hollywood to realize that if they went with just a little less, that means someone who desperately needs it could have enough to survive.If Ms. Kardashian had received a ring worth $1 million and the other million donated to a chairty, think of the difference that could make.

Alpha Kappa Alpha’s $50,000 Donation

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Maegan Clark

Members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority visited Heifer International today as part of their 2011 National Founders’ Day celebration. Heifer was chosen as the AKA’s ‘charity of choice’ in 2010 and they have since donated over $50,000. This donation underscores the Sorority’s commitment to addressing this global hunger and poverty crisis.

Heifer Board member, Charles Stewart speaking to the members of AKA.

AKA presenting a check for $50,000 to Heifer Board member, Charles Stewart.

Thank you, AKA, for your enthusiasm and supporting our mission.

Bill and Melinda Gates on "60 Minutes"

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Heifer International

Bill and Melinda Gates were featured on “60 Minutes” last night, in a segment called “Giving Away a Fortune”:

“The Gates have shunned publicity for the most part. But, recently, Melinda Gates agreed to travel around the globe to show ’60 Minutes’ how they’re giving a fortune away. …

“… Melinda Gates, 46 years old, from Dallas, is a former Microsoft executive who managed 800 people in software development and marketing.

“Now, the work of the foundation is her obsession. This trip with ’60 Minutes’ wasn’t a ‘photo-op.’ In fact, it took a year to convince her to let us come along. She travels often, probing for facts, analyzing needs, measuring the misery.

“‘I have to be here. To see it, and to feel it, and to understand, you know, what motivates these people. What is it that they’re doing for their livelihood? Unless I see it and feel it and touch it, I just don’t feel like I can do the foundation justice in terms of what we’re trying to accomplish,’ she explained. …”

Watch the whole interview here (but beware the Viagra ads).

Learn more about Heifer International’s work in East Africa, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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