As 2012 comes to a close, it’s time to take a look back at the stunning photography and inspiring stories from Betty Londergan’s journey around the world, having visited Heifer project communities from Uganda to Ecuador. Click on a photo to see Heifer 12×12 posts from each country. All photos by Betty Londergan.
I hope you didn’t miss blogger Betty Londergan’s posts on her blog, Heifer12x12.com about her trip to Armenia. But if you did, here’s a quick round-up for you:
Armenian countryside. Photo by Heifer12x12.com, courtesy of Heifer International.
Stay tuned on Heifer12x12 as Betty writes about her travels to Vietnam and Cambodia. And click here to help Betty reach her goal of raising $5,000 for Heifer.
This weekend in Atlanta, Heifer and Oglethorpe University will host our first “Sustainability Summit.” I am excited to take part in this event, which I know will be a meaningful and impactful program, connecting Heifer’s important work with donors, volunteers, students and others in the Atlanta community.
I will be speaking about our efforts to scale up our work and how this will help us achieve our mission of ending hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Other speakers will include Betty Londergan, Heifer 12×12 blogger and Oglethorpe First Lady; Keo Keang, Heifer Cambodia Country Director, and Jeffrey Scott, Heifer USA’s Director of Social Enterprise Development.
Sok Pheary of Cambodia, gives her pigs fodder from her field. Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.
I look forward to sharing with the Atlanta community Heifer’s incredible story and showing how our work can increase in reach and impact yet remain true to our roots in sustainability.
I know “sustainability” may seem like an overused term, to the point that it’s becoming watered down. But at Heifer International, it’s always been at the core of our mission and work. In fact, our work can be viewed as sustainable from three different but integrated lenses:
This weekend, in addition to sharing our work with Atlanta, I’ll host a three-part blog series covering these facets of sustainability and how Heifer applies them. I hope you’ll follow along and contribute your own thoughts about how genuine sustainability must not be allowed to become obsolete.
If you’re in the Atlanta area and want to attend the Sustainability Summit, there’s still time to register for some of the events. Go register now.
In case you’ve missed any of blogger Betty Londergan’s posts on her blog, Heifer12x12.com, about her trip to Rwanda, here’s a quick round-up for you:
Betty Londergan and daughter Lulu
Stay tuned on Heifer12x12 as Betty writes about her travels to Armenia. And click here to help Betty reach her goal of raising $5,000 for Heifer.
I hope you caught Betty Londergan of Heifer 12 x 12 as she reported on her travels with Heifer in the United States. If not, check out this round-up of her posts from Appalachia and the Delta:
Photo by Betty Londergan
Stay tuned on Heifer 12 x 12 as Betty writes about her travels to Rwanda. And click here to help Betty reach her Team Heifer goal of raising $5,000 for Heifer.
For bonus photos, check out the Heifer 12 x 12 Flickr Photostream.
Editor’s note: The following is a guest post from blogger Betty Londergan of Heifer 12 x 12.
On Sunday night, I got the call that I was named Volunteer of the Year from the Southern Region in the CLASSY Awards for the work I am doing on Heifer12 x12.com, a blog project taking me to 12 countries in 12 months in 2012 to see and write about the work of Heifer International. For those of you who don’t know (and I sure didn’t), this is the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country, celebrating the greatest charitable achievements by nonprofit organizations, socially conscious businesses, and individuals worldwide. In 2012, more than 2,400 organizations and volunteers were nominated for a CLASSY Award, and their collective efforts impacted the lives of more than 200,000,000 people in 71 countries worldwide.
Photo courtesy of Heifer International
I was totally honored to be nominated, I was stunned to make the regional finals, and I was delirious when they told me I won my region– particularly since the other nominees were wonderful people who had accomplished remarkable things.
In fact, when they asked me why I thought I should win, I believe I said something like, “Oh, I don’t. There are so many people who are more worthy than I am.” My husband thought that was a really dumb thing to say but the truth is, I don’t think I deserve to win. However, I absolutely believe that Heifer should get all the recognition and honor this award brings! So I’m even daring to hope I’ll win nationally on September 22 (although the other three regional winners are really spectacular), because I figure it will shine a klieg light of fame on the real heroes: Heifer staff and beneficiaries around the world.
When I started my blog in Uganda (a test run before the real thing), and for the first 7 months of travel this year, I have been routinely blown away by the incredible commitment and insane work ethic of Heifer staff in the field. As I’m writing this, their faces are popping up in my mind: Peter in Uganda, Bryan in Guatemala, Ewaldy and Hervil in Haiti, Madeline in Peru, Tony in China, Goma in Nepal, Humphrey in Cameroon, Laura in Romania, Jeffrey in Appalachia… such talented people working such long hours and bringing all their creativity to the table to help end hunger and poverty in their countries.
I have been so privileged to get to see Heifer projects around the world; to learn the culture and history of each of these countries and how it’s shaped the challenges we face in making sustainable change; to meet the beautiful, courageous, undaunted and hard-working people who Heifer works with and for … and then to come back and write my stories in a way that brings those people and those situations alive for my readers.
It’s been a journey filled with harder work than I ever thought, with more love and joy than I imagined possible. And I’m grateful in every way that I’ve been able to help Heifer tell the story of the complex, difficult, compassionate, essential work it’s doing in the world.
We are excited to announce that blogger Betty Londergan of Heifer 12 x 12 has been selected as a regional winner of the 2012 Classy Awards for Volunteer of the Year.
It’s time for another Heifer 12 x 12 Round-Up, and this time it’s all about Cameroon.
Check out Heifer 12 x 12 to follow along as Betty writes about her time in Romania visiting Heifer projects. And be sure to help Betty reach her Team Heifer goal of raising $5,000 for Heifer’s work.
Meal time can be such an adventure!
The video below shows a farmer’s market in Lima:
And, be sure to check out these two blog posts, from Brooke Edwards, writer at Heifer International and Betty Londergan, a blogger documenting her experience visiting Heifer projects around the world. These two ladies were lucky enough to experience Peruvian cuisine first hand.
Bon Appetit!
Blogger Betty Londergan of Heifer 12 x 12 has wrapped up her writing about her trips to visit Heifer’s work in China and Nepal, just in time to head to Cameroon. Check out this round-up of Betty’s lively posts from halfway around the world.
China:
Nepal:
Stay tuned on Heifer 12 x 12 as Betty writes about her adventures with Heifer in Cameroon. And click here to help Betty reach her Team Heifer goal of raising $5,000 for Heifer.