Creating and Restoring Haiti Livestock Savings Accounts

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Jason Woods

At the end of the summer, I traveled to Haiti to spend a couple of weeks visiting projects with Heifer Haiti staff. For previous posts on my trip, see my author page.

Kenflore poses with her favorite goat. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Five-year-old Kenflore Theard likes taking care of her family’s goats.

“I take them to the pasture in the morning,” she said, “and (later) I will get them and put them back in the pen. I give them water and grass for food, and after that, I put them in the pasture (again).”

Kenflore’s favorite part of the process is feeding the goats. She also helps milk the mother goat when she needs a little help feeding her kids.

When asked why she likes looking after the goats so much, she responded in typical five-year-old fashion: “I just like it.”

“She is the most important (family member, when it comes to the goats),” said Kenflore’s mother, Jeanne Odne Elfine. “When I’m not at the house, she looks after the goats and protects them from the sun.

“She’s very intelligent.”

(From left to right) Jean Patrick Theard (25), Kenflore Theard (5), Jeanne Odne Elfine and Syntilhomme (20) enjoy a laugh. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International

Jeanne, Kenflore and the rest of the family (six other children) are a part of Heifer Haiti’s From the Ground Up project, the same project that Antonio Louis Fritznel joined. The project, which will reach 12,000 families, began in the wake of 2010′s earthquake as a way to build and rebuild family economies in Haiti and ensure access to basic needs such as food and water for those families.

To accomplish this goal, From the Ground Up is divided into 11 subprojects. Each subproject is like its own project: each works with different local organizations in distinct geographic areas of the country. And each subproject shares livestock resources that best fit the needs of the community of participants, whether it be rabbits, goats, cows, tilapia or something else.

Just as Antonio is a project participant and recipient of rabbits through COSDERSLS in St. Louis du Sud, Jeanne, Kenflore and family joined From the Ground Up and received goats through local organization CODEDPE (Collective for Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection) in Maniche.

Owning goats, or any type of livestock, is a big deal for families like Jeanne’s. Of course, the family can use the goats’ meat to improve their nutrition. But as of yet, they haven’t eaten any of the goats. In fact, most of the livestock owners I talked to in Haiti had not used their animals for meat.

In Haiti, livestock is used as a kind of savings account. The animals are kept healthy and happy, and when the family needs a little extra money, they can sell some of the animals.

“If (one of us) has to go to the doctor, we can sell (a goat),” Jeanne said. “Or we can sell a goat to pay for school (fees for the children).”

In fact, the family is hoping to send Kenflore to school for the first time in January. In July, the family fulfilled their Passing on the Gift requirement and gave some of their largest goats to another family involved with the project, so the goats they have now aren’t big enough to sell. Eventually, the family believes those goats will help keep Kenflore in school.

One solution to keep kids in school in Haiti: a goat! Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International

One of the many devastating results of the earthquake and hurricane of 2010 was that, in effect, the disasters wiped out thousands of savings accounts (i.e. their livestock). Through Heifer International Haiti and groups like CODEDPE, Haitians families are restoring or creating for the first time livestock savings accounts will help them in times of need. To learn more and to support Haitian families, please visit the web page for Heifer Haiti’s newest project, REACH. To support communities around the world that are in the process of post-disaster, long-term rebuilding, please visit Heifer’s disaster rehabilitation fund.

Kenflore, skipping through the forage field as her brothers tend to the garden. Photo by Jason Woods, courtesy of Heifer International.

Coming To A Mailbox Near You

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Annie Bergman

It’s that time again. The latest edition of World Ark should be hitting mailboxes around the country.

The August issue is chock-full of interesting facts and figures, gorgeous photography and an article all about grasscutters. Don’t know what a grasscutter is? Check out the story about the new livestock that is making farmers in Ghana very successful.

Or dive into one of our Heifergraphics on water usage. You might be surprised to know that it takes A LOT more water to brew a gallon of coffee than it does to brew a gallon of tea, for example.

You can also visit the highlands of Peru through this issue. Writer Brooke Edwards tells how Heifer has helped diversify the alpaca population in the Andean mountains aided by some stunning photography by Dave Anderson.

So be on the lookout for your copy. If you don’t get World Ark in the mail, never fear! Our online page-turner edition can be accessed with the click of your mouse.

Happy reading!

The Omnipresent Tortilla

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Casey Neese

by Christian DeVries | photos and video by Russell Powell

The tortilla is an omnipresent part of all meals in Guatemala. Warm, round, delicious, these flat breads are found on every table.

Mrs. Francisca Najera Vasquez lives in the tiny village of El Duraznito with her husband and seven children, so she has a lot of experience making tortillas. The family’s corn is husked and the kernels are boiled. After being cooked the corn is ground at a local mill. Francisca uses six pounds of masa (dough) to feed her family every day. Using a traditional piedra de moler (grinding stone) with a stone rolling pin she grinds the dough one more time.

Small handfuls of dough are patted into the appropriate size and placed on a hot piece of steel atop a clay oven. Working with her daughter (Saira) and her aunt (Felipa), the three women are a veritable tortilla machine: grinding, patting and cooking.

My mouth begins to salivate at the smell of fresh hot tortillas. The wood smoke penetrates the bread adding a subtle smoky flavor. I always have fun visiting Heifer farmers. Sitting at Francisca’s kitchen table, eating a lovingly prepared meal, I feel like one of the family. All I need is mas tortillas, por favor.

In Context: A Spotlight on Poverty in Canada

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

Editor’s note: In Context is a new series designed to inform and educate you on Heifer’s work in each country we have a presence. Every two weeks we’ll tackle a different country and examine unique situations related to hunger and poverty, how Heifer works to address them as well as take some time to explore local culture and traditions.

Photo by Darcy Kiefel, courtesy of Heifer International

Canada has seen some noticeable economic improvements in thelast ten years; however:

1 in 10 Canadians live in poverty
1 in 3 Canadian adults that work full-time do not makeenough money to sustain themselves and their families with a healthy lifestyle

Canada measures poverty in relative terms and does not havean official poverty line. Canadian poverty statistics are calculated byCanada’s Low Income Cut-Offs (LICOs), which is calculated by comparing thepercentage of income individuals and families spend on basic needs with otherCanadians.

Many blame unemployment as the “big, bad” reason for povertyin Canada and other developed countries, but that’s not always the case. As amatter of fact, the Canadian unemployment rate is in decline. An overlooked andunderlying factor of poverty in many of the world’s wealthy, industrializedcountries is income inequality, which is the extent to which income is unevenly distributed in one country.

In 2008, for everydollar the average Canadian family in the poorest 10% of the population had, Canadianfamilies in the richest 10% of the population had 13 times as much.

When income inequality in a country is high, it reflects onhow a country uses its resources. The higher the income inequality in acountry, the slower the economic growth, usually begging the question: “Is thecountry utilizing its citizenship’s skills and capabilities to the fullestextent?”

Measured by the Gini Index (which calculates how far incomedistribution among individuals in a country deviates from an exactly equaldistribution), income inequality in Canada has increased more over the last 20years than in any other country with similar income per capita.

Nearly 400,000 full-time, Canadian adult employees earn lessthan $10 an hour, drawing them and their families deeper into the cycle ofpoverty. And with poverty comes poor health— The World Health Organizationhas named poverty as being the single largest determinant of health.

The majority of theworking-poor cannot afford secure and affordable housing and healthy (or inmany instances an adequate amount of) food
Parents on limitedincome often skip meals so their children have an adequate diet
Limited food budgetsand lack of access to fresh food often results in Type 2 diabetes—which wasformerly seen in adults only, but is now increasing in children

And perhaps one of the scarier statistics to surface:

According to a studyconducted by McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, there is a 21-yeardifference in life expectancy between the poorest neighborhood and thewealthiest neighborhood

Research by Poverty is Making Us Sick show that if annualincome were increased by $1,000 a year to the poorest 20% of Canadians, it wouldlead to as many as 10,000 fewer chronic conditions and 6,600 fewer disabilitydays every two weeks.

So, while poverty in Canada doesn’t look like poverty inunindustrialized nations, it exists nonetheless. The difficult decisions familiesmust make (pay rent or buy food) are the same, contributing to a decline inquality of life and degrading the emotional and physical health of a nation.

Photo by Darcy Kiefel courtesy of Heifer International

You can help make a difference and learn more about howHeifer Canada is helping at www.heifercanada.org.

A Just Life for Honduran Coffee Farmers

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Brooke Edwards

Heifer International Senior Grant Writer Catherine Scott recently spent time in Honduras visiting some of our projects. Below, Catherine shares with us a little about her visit.

“I wanted to come back to work with people in my own community” – Jonan Daniel, agricultural advisor.

Jonan Daniel.

Jonan Daniel is a young, enthusiastic, and highly trained agricultural advisor whose role is to visit 60 RAOS Coffee Cooperative member families per month. As part of the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters partnership aimed at “Improving the Sustainable Production and Food Systems of Small-Scale Organic Coffee Farming Families in Honduras,” Daniel visits these families to ensure they are meeting not only their own family food security needs, but also to ensure they are receiving the necessary training in organic coffee production to meet the RAOS coffee co-op standards.

Since 2002, Heifer has had a valued corporate partnership with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR). Most recently, GMCR has partnered with Heifer International to provide income diversification for small holder family farmers in the coffee production supply chain in Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala and Nicaragua. After the coffee harvest, farmers have a hard time making ends meet. This period, from April to September, is called the “thin months” – when it becomes necessary to find another source of income. This is where Heifer comes in. We are working with families who supply coffee to GMCR to help the farmers through the thin months. By providing livestock, seeds, training and equipment, the farmers are able to better sustain their families and produce an income throughout the year.

Harvested coffee beans.

GMCR works with the RAOS co-op in Honduras. RAOS’ vision is to produce healthy, ecologically sustainable food – but also to gain a “just life” for its members. They want to be able to share the fruits of their labor amongst member families and the wider community. Their work is conducted in harmony with nature, while working towards economic, social, physical, and spiritual health.

The co-op started with just 16 men and 4 women. Over the past few years, the co-op has grown to include 123 families (200 individuals); they receive 10-20 applications for membership per week! Accountability was also readily apparent, with an elected co-op board that includes a specific Gender Committee to ensure the inclusion of women.

Preparing the coffee for shipment.

Why does RAOS exist? Because its producers know that there can be strength in numbers. Without the co-op working to secure fair trade pricing, the coffee producers and ‘’cutters’’ (those who harvest the beans) are at the mercy of the buyers. An average 100 lb bag of beans fetches a price of $6/bag. A fair trade bag? That garners the producer $20/bag. In a country where many people exist on less than $2/day, getting fair trade prices makes a huge difference in a family’s income.

During the project site visit, several Heifer staff members tried their hand at harvesting the beans. Within a 30 minute period, we harvested a paltry sum. Many jokes ensued over how many Americans it takes to harvest a single coffee plant! Our host, and one of the original members of RAOS, teased us that he had a quota and if we didn’t meet it, we couldn’t leave the farm! In contrast to our untrained hands, a skilled cutter can harvest 250 lbs of coffee per day. It is back-breaking work.

RAOS co-op president with eggs from
his Heifer chickens.

When we asked Daniel why he had returned when so many young adults leave the rural areas, he replied simply that he grew up in this area harvesting coffee. Now, by working with Green Mountain Coffee Roaster and Heifer International he has the opportunity and the training to Pass on the Gift to members of his own community. Through this partnership, families in the RAOS co-op (and others in Honduras) have a better chance at moving beyond subsistence and creating strong economic futures for their children.

In Context: Canada

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

Population: 34 million

Native Greeting: Quanuq itpin? (Inuvialuliktum for How areyou?)

Capital: Ottawa

Official language: English and French

Local currency: Canadian dollar

Overview

Canada is the second largest country in the world but thelargest to border only one other country. With the continental United States tothe south, Canada is located in northern North America with the North Atlanticon the east, North Pacific on the west and the Arctic Ocean on the north.

Photo by alexindigo courtesy of Creative Commons

90% of the 34 million people that live there live within 100 miles of the US border where the climate is mostly temperate. Canada reachesarctic and sub-arctic temperature in the north. In the west, the landscape ismostly plains and mountains with lowlands in the south.

Despite Canada being ranked #6 on the Human Development Index, the country has an alarmingly high rate of povertyand homelessness, nearly 16% of Canadians live in poverty and over 3 millionpeople live in food insecure households.

Among the poor, the indigenous populations in particular are at high-riskof malnutrition and hunger due to wage disparity in urban centers coupled withrising unemployment rates, high cost of nutritious food on reservations andlack of education.

Did you know…

A basket of healthy food costs twice as much in the norththan in the south.
Nearly half of the aboriginal population living in majorCanadian cities live in poverty.
In 2001, only 8% of the 25-34age group of Aboriginal peoples had a completed university degree, while 28% ofall Canadians did.
Rural farmers are athigh risk of losing their land and livelihoods to largecorporations.

Heifer’s approach in Canada

A growing interest in organic farming and eating local provides a positive opportunity for change.

The Heifer Canada approach has grown and evolved over the years and projects nowspan three primary areas of focus: family farm preservation, First Nationsagriculture, and urban and rural community food security.

The foundationof Heifer’s efforts in Canada has always been the partnerships it establisheswith those in genuine need. This, combined with the rapid decline of farmersacross the country demands a continued strong presence of Heifer’s work inCanada. Heifer Canada began in 1980. They currently have 17 projectsand have assisted more than 2,000 families to date.

Livestock portfolio: Apiaries (bees), chickens, worms, cows,horses, pigs, turkeys, fruit trees and vegetable seeds

Issues addressed: Poverty among the indigenous and urbancommunities, land preservation, loss of biodiversity and environmentaldegradation.

Heifer’s Heart: Rogério Súniga Rosa

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Brooke Edwards

Name: Rogério Súniga Rosa

Title: Regional Coordinator for Southern Brazil and Northern Argentina

Location: Bairro Graca, Brazil

How long have you worked for Heifer? 5 years

What attracted you to work for Heifer?
The overall harmony between what I have always done and the work, partnerships and strategic plan of Heifer Brazil-Argentina.

What has been the most memorable experience you have had while working for Heifer?
I participated in a bazaar put on by the Puna Network, an organization of the people of Puna and Quebrada in the province of Jujuy in northern Argentina. The bazaar of La Laugunilla is more than 4,000 meters above sea level. I was able to support, participate in and serve in an advisory capacity for this event with more than 500 people from families and communities in this area, sharing education and experience, combined bartering or trading seeds, food and other genetic materials that families need. It was very interesting, intense and educational for me.

My education includes: Agronomy Engineering, specializing in Agroecology.

My hobbies include: I like to read, take care of my family’s organic garden, play with my two children, cook for family and friends, travel and meet with friends to joke and laugh a lot.

My family consists of: Caio and Arthur, my children, and Eliziana, my wife.

Something about me that you might not know: I like metaphysics, spirituality and related topics. I love to read poetry and I write some, which I keep secret.

What is the best thing about working at Heifer Peru?
There are at least two best things:
• the opportunity to participate in the beautiful work and partnerships that
build the program.
• living and working with a team of people who are highly capable, special
and beloved.

Heifer Hopes to Improve Lives of Women in Haiti

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Brooke Edwards

Heifer International Vice President for the Americas Program Oscar Castaneda recently traveled with CEO Pierre Ferrari to Haiti to celebrate the opening of a Heifer goat breeding center and see some of our work in the field. Below Oscar reflects on women in Haiti and their role in rural development.

Where do Haitian Women Stand?
In a country like Haiti, where life is undeniably hard (and was even before the 2010 earthquake), it comes as no surprise that the status of women is low. At the national level, only three of the 17 government ministers are women. Urbanization is taking place at an annual rate of 3.9 percent, and there is limited access to services and goods for women who live in the most marginalized urban and suburban areas, wehre basic institutions and/or state agencies are deficient or completely nonexistent. Gender-based violence rised dramatically following the earthquake (though legislation is in the works to elevate the rights of women in Haiti).

A Day of Celebration in Fort Royal
We had just left the community of Degand and were heading toward Fort Royal in Petit Goave, where we teamed up with a local organization of irrigation system users. Heifer Haiti has worked with more than 150 families in this community and provided gifts of dairy cows; forage production; seeds; irrigation; and training and technical assistance in community organizing, improved production and marketing.

Members of the community waited in the afternoon for the visit from the Heifer delegation, which included Heifer CEO Pierre Ferrari, his wife Kim Ferrari, blogger Betty Londergan and a fundraising consultant. The visitors were also eager to meet the community members and witness a Passing on the Gift ceremony at sunset. We had come from hilly and bumpy terrain and were glad to be driving on flat land through a banana plantation. The good soil and abundance of water on this farm was an uncommon sight in Haiti, where water scarcity and hillside agricultural production is the norm. Suddenly the road turned into mud, and one of our vehicles became stuck. An additional delay before arriving in the community!

The Afternoon Agenda
Once we arrived in Fort Royal, our meeting included welcoming words, introductions, testimonials and words of appreciation for the collaboration when it was most needed. It was a typical community celebration in the field, and farewell best wishes were given at the end. The sun sank into the horizon, and we were ready to depart for our next destination.

The final item on our agenda was the presentation of Margarette Doscar, the secretary of a women’s group that unites 35 women in Fort Royal. She shared the common challenges faced by Haitian women: taking care of the family, keeping every member healthy, providing food every day, and collecting water–a task that often requires three-hour walks.

Photos by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International

Having received a dairy cow has really had a profound impact on their lives. A mother proudly showed the uniform her son was wearing as a benefit from selling milk. Kim Ferrari wanted to speak to the women. It was already dark, nobody could see or recognize one another, but everybody was there. Under the light of a cell phone, Kim reminded the women how important their role is, that they are the backbone of each family, and that society relies completely on them. She said she also realized how hard it is for women to live in communities without services and how creatively they respond to their needs. She encouraged them: “never give up your hopes.”

Heifer International’s Commitment
One of Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development–the heart of our approach to development–is Gender and Family Focus. Although Heifer’s contributions aim to support the whole family, there is a special effort to challenge the roles assigned in society to men and women and to create different conditions so women can participate in decision making, benefit from ownership of the Heifer animals and benefit from a range of trainings. In the different groups we visited during this trip to Haiti, we found many women serving in leadership roles. In Tet Kole, for example, the general coordination in the Peasant Movement of Papay is managed by women. This is great, but far from enough. Women need access to additional leadership positions and have more and better access to productive assets. Heifer’s Rural Entrepreneurs for Agricultural Cooperation in Haiti Project includes in its plan that a minimum of one-third of the breeding centers will be owned and managed by women. This is a key step in the right direction for in a country where getting ahead is hard enough, and even harder for women.

Goats for a Stronger Haiti

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Brooke Edwards

From the sounds of it, Pierre and Oscar’s trip to visit our work in Haiti was quite the whirlwind. Photos by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

Cutting the ribbon at the grand opening of Tet Kole Goat Breeding Center in Montrouis.
Pierre with Rosnel Jean-Baptiste, General Coordinator of Tet Kole;
and Michel Chancy, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Animal Production.

A goat of the Tet Kole Goat Breeding Center.

Pierre Ferrari and Oscar Castaneda after the opening of the Tet Kole Goat Breeding Center.

Passing on the Gift of goats.

Project participant in Degand. She has a water cistern built in her house.

Recipient of four goats in Maniche.

A Virtual Tour of Clara’s Improved Kitchen

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Brooke Edwards

Earlier this month we shared with you the story of Clara Alanya of Peru, a young woman who has remained in her rural community and become a leader through her participation in a Heifer project. In this video, you’ll hear more about Clara and go on a virtual tour of her improved kitchen, including the improved stove, which she now helps her fellow community members to build.

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