Start Your Hanukkah With Heifer

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Brooke Edwards

For those of you who celebrate Hanukkah, you know it begins this evening. While giving gifts as part of the Hanukkah celebration isn’t universal or originally part of the Jewish holiday, there are many Jewish children who receive a gift for each of the eight nights.

If you are planning on gift-giving this Hanukkah, I hope you’ll consider giving a donation to Heifer. The gift of a sheep, goat, fish fingerlings, bees or tree seedlings could make a great Hanukkah gift for your loved ones.

Happy Hanukkah!

How To: Stress Less This Holiday Season

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Maegan Clark

The holidays are here! It’s time to start making your list and check them twice! I know you’ve all be nice. As the next two weeks of festive fun are around, remember these simple things and you’re holidays will seem much less stressful:

The Thought That Counts
Worried about what to give that hard to buy for person? Don’t. Remember, it’s the thought of the gift that matters the most. So if you can’t decide between a tie or a sweater, remember you care enough about that person to add them to your list. They will appreciate it.

Pack Up and Travel Smarter
The holiday season is when most of us pack up and travel to see our friends and family. This year, take a look back at our How To Travel Greener post on how you can stress less and live greener this holiday season.

Become Part of Something Bigger
Check out the guest post from Jennifer Wheary, a Newsday contributor, who has written a post about how you can become something bigger this holiday season and help reduce your holiday stress.

Take Care of Yourself
With parties, traffic and the daily mishaps it’s easy to start to feel overwhelmed during the holiday seasons. Make sure you take care of yourself by eating right (only one piece of pie!), continue to drink water and rest when you start to feel too tired.

Being Part of Something Bigger Helps Curb Holiday Stress

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Heifer International

This post was contributed by Jennifer Wheary, a Demos senior fellow who focuses on issues of economic opportunity, education and the global middle class. Wheary is a regular contributor to Newsday and is preparing an article for Heifer’s World Ark magazine.

I was walking down the street this past week in the midst of a mad rush of errands when I received a text message that stopped me in my tracks. It was from my sister who lives in western Pennsylvania. “Meltdown. Half hour from Pittsburgh” was all it said. My mind raced to the cataclysmic conclusion that a nuclear reactor nearby her home had gone haywire. My sister had just been visiting me in New York the day before. Panic rising and chest tightening, I thought to myself “Why did she and her 3-year son take the Amtrak train back on Monday, instead of staying here with me where they were safe? I took a deep breath and called her. She answered her cellphone with far too chipper “Hey. What’s up?” I was momentarily stunned. “What’s happening there?” I anxiously asked. “Noah’s playing with his Matchboxes and I’m folding laundry,” she replied.

It was only then, after about 3 minutes of angst, that it hit me that the meltdown she had texted me about was in response to a question I had texted a few hours earlier asking how her toddler son had fared during the long train trip.

The experience was sobering, but not too surprising for this time of year.

The holidays are often associated with hope and optimism, but this is also in many ways the most stressful season. Everyone seem to have an endless to do list. An ever-expanding array of responsibilities and social obligations seem par for the course. 61 percent of Americans report experiencing holiday stress, according to American Psychological Association. Fifty-two percent of us report being more irritable at this time of year, and 68 percent of us say we are more fatigued.

When we are overstressed and fatigued, negativity can run amok. This is in part brain’s natural response to stress. In his book “Rewire Your Brain,” John B. Arden, a psychologist at Kaiser Permanente, describes how the physiological and biochemical processes involved in seeing all sides of an issue shut down when people experience negative stress. Instead, we kick into a fight-or-flight response designed only for short-term self-preservation.

That response has value. If your hand touches a flame, you need to react quickly and use all of your neurological resources to get out of danger. Ditto if a car cuts you off or stops suddenly in front of you while you’re looking for parking at a crowded mall.

But a short-term fighting stance inhibits our ability to see the bigger picture more clearly – even to the point of temporarily imagining a nuclear disaster. In this way, always being under stress and accentuating the negative impairs our ability to solve or improve anything.

Unfortunately, when we look at the news, negativity is what often garners the most attention and gets broadcast the most loudly. But it’s not all that’s out there. Many people and organizations, like Heifer International, are doing good things. As a long time Heifer supporter, I was inspired this week by an email sent out by the organization which invited me to “Be part of something bigger.”

This phrase serves as a good reminder to not be overwhelmed by the holiday stress season, and to put the negativity that is naturally likely to arise as in its place. Being part of something bigger can help us curtail our individual counterproductive stress response. It can help us cope more effectively, leaving us and our world better off.

Give a HEIFER Heifer: It’s the Sustainable Thing to Do

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Brooke Edwards

There’s a reason animal gifts are popular right now. The idea is fun; the animal is cute, easy to give as an alternative gift and is readily available from several organizations that all tout it as a means to help impoverished communities become self-sustaining. But it takes more than an animals, and only one organization works to that end–Heifer International.

For more than 67 years, Heifer International has recognized the cow, goat, sheep or rabbit is but one of the ingredients needed by a family or community to become self-sustaining. Along with that animal must come training: in animal care and management, in how to use its byproducts–muscle and manure, for example–for benefit.

And there must be values training, which is the very core of our successful model of sustainable development. These trainings, in sharing and caring, nutrition and income, improving the environment, full participation and gender equity that empowers both men and women together, create the social capital that contributes not only to the success of the participating family, but also to the community.

Only Heifer requires project participants to Pass on the Gift–giving the first-born female offspring of their animal, along with the training they have received–to another family. There are communities where pass-ons are in their fifth, 10th, even 13th generation. So the gift of a cow isn’t really the gift of a single cow with Heifer. It’s the gift of a herd.

There’s no question that other organizations that provide animals to families in need do good work, but livestock inputs are but one item of the smorgasbord of work these agencies do. Giving livestock and training is all we do, and we do it exceptionally well, according to evaluators from Western Michigan University, who visited more than 139 Heifer projects in 20 countries and interviewed 5,000 Heifer program participants.

In their summary, evaluators stated, “In virtually every evaluation, the evaluators noted improvements in nutrition, agriculture, income, hope and opportunity, access to health care and medicine, livestock management. And mentioned in nearly every report was Heifer’s signature, Passing on the Gift (POG) program.”

Heifer’s work lasts much longer than the mere delivery of the animal as well. Projects and work with families, by Heifer country staff (who are native to the country), last years, not days or even weeks. And even before an animal is delivered, the family spends up to a year training, building safe and sturdy animal sheds and learning to grow food for the animals that don’t impinge on the family’s own gardens and food.

Since 1944, we have worked with and helped ignite transformation for more than 71 million people in more than 125 countries around the world. That’s a true track record for an organization that began its journey with a shipment of three heifers–Faith, Hope and Charity–to Puerto Rico.

Animals as alternative gifts are easy and cute, but only Heifer International considers the animal a catalyst to the heavy lifting that the families provide every day to pull themselves up out of poverty and into prosperity.

So give a Heifer animal. Because you know you’re giving so much more when you do.

Can’t decide which animal to give? Check out our series highlighting some of the options from our Gift Catalog:

Give a Goat: It’s the Poor Man’s Cow
Don’t BE a Heifer, GIVE a Heifer
Share a Sheep: Ewe Will Be Thanked
Llamas and Alpacas: Your Black Friday Alternative
Pick a Chick on Cyber Monday
Give Trees: The Perfect Alternative Gift for Vegetarians

Oh! And use our new Facebook “Like” button to show your friends you like us.
You Really Like Us.

Says Goat: Are We There Yet?

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Brooke Edwards

Heifer believes that we can achieve more together by working with communities, local governments, organizations, and other partners. Heifer has several longstanding relationships with organizations that share in the mission of Heifer International and our belief that we can end hunger and poverty. One of these organizations is our global partner, Bóthar, based in Limerick, Ireland.

For the past several years, Bóthar has run a series of adorable commercials encouraging donations of livestock to help poor farmers around the world. This year, they’ve allowed us to Americanize and Heiferize their commercials to share with you. Take a look:

We began working together in 1991 with a project in Uganda. Bóthar then was a newly formed organization of Irish farmers who had a grand idea to send as many Irish dairy heifers as possible to Africa. The first airlift of 20 in-calf dairy heifers left Shannon Airport for Uganda that year, and this simple and powerful idea of sending livestock to support families in developing countries rapidly gained widespread support. Twenty years later, Bóthar’s work has expanded to include working with more than 16 different animal species in more than 35 countries, together with training in animal husbandry and sustainable farming.

Bóthar has airlifted more than 4,550 Irish dairy heifers to communities around the world, each transforming the lives of recipient families. Because each family Passes on Gift of the first female calf to another family, Bóthar estimates that a further 15,000 “pass-on” heifers have enriched the lives of families formerly living in poverty.

Through partners like Bóthar, individual supporters and others, Heifer is able to scale up our impact, reach more communities and families, and move forward in getting there.

To learn more about Bóthar and their work, visit Bóthar’s site at www.bothar.ie. Or follow them on Twitter at @bothar or on Facebook.

Information provided by Meredith Rolf, international resource development manager at Heifer International.

How to Take Care of the Earth This Holiday Season

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Maegan Clark

As we all prepare for the holiday festivities with our families and friends, it’s also an important time to continue to care for the Earth.

Recycle the Old, When you Receive the New

- Asking for new electronics this year? Don’t toss the old ones out in the trash pile. If they can’t be donated, then remember to recycle old TVs, computers and other electronics you won’t be using. Check here to read our How To blog post on recycling electronics.

- Don’t forget about the batteries. As holiday festivities begin, don’t forget to recycle your old batteries from your kids’ toys and games and any remotes you use for electronics. Want to help take care of the Earth more than just recycling batteries? Use the rechargeable kind.

- Buying a gift for someone who already has one like it? Make the deal that they must donate the old gift before receiving the new gift.

Waste Not, Want Not

- In the How To End Hunger This Thanksgiving blog, we mentioned to only take what you can eat and eat what you take. Keep that same mentality during holiday parties. If you’re throwing a party and you have extra food, eat it for leftovers or take it to your office to share with your co-workers.

- If you are throwing a party for the holidays, be mindful of the foods you buy. If you buy extra goods and do not use them, consider donating them to your local food bank.

Go Digital

- If you’re shopping for gifts this year (other than Heifer gifts, of course) consider doing all of your shopping online. Besides avoiding big crowds, you can also help reduce fuel emissions from driving around all over your city.

- Many families send out annual holiday cards. this year, send an email instead. Cut down on the amount of paper used and thrown away by going digital instead. Receiving holiday cards? If you don’t plan on keeping them, make sure you recycle them.

Remember to Unplug

- Remember while you’re traveling to visit friends and family to unplug the household items that don’t need electricity while you’re away.

- If you’ve decorated with lights on your house, use a timer on all of your external lighting decorations.

What are some things you will be doing this holiday season to take care of the Earth?

Pick a Chick on Cyber Monday

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Brooke Edwards

It’s Cyber Monday. Don’t let your boss catch you surfing the web for the best deal on a TV. Instead, let her know you’re spending your holiday savings ending world hunger. Pick a chick this Cyber Monday!

For just $20, a gift of chicks, ducks or geese can quickly turn into a sizable flock that can triple a family’s income. The fowl are easily managed as they require little space, and they can help control garden pests and improve soil quality. And through Heifer’s Pass on the Gift model, your gifts will continue to change communities for years to come. Can’t say that about the latest e-reader, now can you?

Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee

Anju Chaudhary lost everything she owned when a sudden flood struck her town of Bhandara, Nepal, several years ago. Not long after, Anju’s husband left the house one day and never came back. Anju suddenly found herself all alone with two little children to feed. That’s when she joined a local women’s group, and soon she received the gift of a chicken, which quickly produced eggs and chicks. Anju fed some of the eggs to her children and sold the rest for income. She now has 16 eggs ready to hatch. “We’ll have lots of chickens soon,” Anju says proudly.

Eggs
One large chicken egg contains more than six grams of protein, which the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization indicates is about half the daily requirement for toddlers. Both chicken and duck eggs contain selenium, which helps build a strong immune system, and B vitamins that help convert food into energy. Plus, chickens and ducks can lay nearly 200 eggs a year.

More Land and Better Crops
Chickens, ducks and geese require little space, so families who have only small plots to farm can maximize what they plant. The fowl eat insects and remove weeds as well, which increases crop yields and provides more food to sell at market or to feed their families.

Increased Income
In addition to providing hundreds of eggs a year or hundreds of chicks, ducklings and goslings to sell at market, these animals thrive on food and garden scraps. That means families don’t have to spend a lot of money to feed the fowl, enabling them to pay for food, education and medicine.

Want to really impress your boss? Give her a Flock of Hope this holiday season. And if it doesn’t already, encourage your organization to participate in our employer matching gifts program, turning your $20 or $60 gift into twice as many birds. Read more blog posts about how Heifer uses fowl to improve lives around the world.

Don’t feel like picking a chick? How about an alpaca, sheep, heifer or goat?

Llamas and Alpacas: Your Black Friday Alternative

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Brooke Edwards

Dario Mayta, the son of Jose Mayta, with one of the
alpacas that his father received from Heifer.

Llamas and their cousin the alpaca have been invaluable for the people of South America since the Incas domesticated them around 4,000 B.C. While llamas are best known for their wool, they also have keen eyesight and can act as guards, protecting other herds from potential predators.

Jose Mayta and his wife Utilia Chura-Laura.

In the isolated village of Pallallani, Bolivia, Jose Mayta and Utilia Chura-Laura took the gift of two alpacas and made a thriving farm. The couple now has 60 adult alpacas. Each is sheared once a year and provides about four pounds of wool. Though the market is a seven-hour walk, Jose knows the money he makes there will go toward the children’s education. In god years, alpaca wool sells between $5 and $7 per pound, so he can earn a total of $1,300 to $1,700 from his alpaca herd.

Clothing and Blankets
The wool that llamas and alpacas provide is prized when woven into blankets, ponchos, carpet and rope. And with each animal providing between four and eight pounds of wool a year, weaving can become a lucrative business.

Protected Ecosystems
Pasture land in the Andean Mountains is scarce, and vegetation at high altitudes is fragile. But with their padded, two-towed feet, llamas leave little impact on the mountain ecosystems. Their droppings can also help fertilize the scarce topsoil.

Transportation
Families high in the Andean mountains use llamas as pack animals to move goods to markets. Depending on the terrain, llamas can carry up to 30 percent of their body weight, making them better pack animals than horses.

This holiday season, give the gift of a llama in honor of Cousin Frank, who always won the spitting contests when you were kids. Read more about Heifer’s work with llamas and alpacas to see why they’re a winning pick for many families in South America.

Photos by Christian DeVries.

How to End Hunger This Thanksgiving

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Maegan Clark

- Mother Theresa

1. Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen

Whether you have Thanksgiving lunch or dinner with your family, why not add a new tradition of volunteering at a soup kitchen this holiday? Call your local soup kitchen or homeless shelter and ask to volunteer this weekend.

2. Buy One, Donate One

While doing your Thanksgiving grocery shopping, add some extra to your cart. For every canned item you buy, buy one more and then donate to your local food bank.

3. Only Take What You Can Eat

It’s tempting on Thanksgiving day to fill a plate full with all the goodness of turkey, mashed potatoes and desserts. This Thursday, try to only take what you will eat.

4. Invite Over Those in Need

Know someone who will be spending the holidays alone or a family who can’t afford to have their own Thanksgiving? Invite them over to your holiday celebration dinner. No better way to be thankful than sharing what you have with others.

5. Share Heifer’s Mission

It’s simple. Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. How do we do this? We help families lift themselves out of poverty with sustainable methods such as livestock and agriculture. Gather your entire family around the computer this Thanksgiving and watch our quick 60-second video about Heifer.

Heifer Blog

The official blog of Heifer International

Tag Archives: Holidays