You Can Help A Family in Need Turn Despair Into Dreams
"We started with virtually nothing," Maricon Alagano says of her life before she became a Heifer International partner.
Maricon and her husband, Roger, live with their four daughters in the mountainous Kalinga province in the northern Philippines, a region of subsistence farmers. Many families here have been held in the grip of poverty and hunger for generations.
But thanks to Heifer and kind friends like you, this incredible family and hundreds of others in Kalinga are making an incredible journey from despair to dreams.
Before this Heifer project, Maricon and Roger's hard work was not enough to lift their family out of dependence. Maricon had to work as a housekeeper in Qatar, thousands of miles away. Roger could only find work as a day laborer. "It was very difficult," Maricon says.
It all changed for the Alaganos when Heifer provided this determined family with the tools to succeed — two pigs, a goat, a shovel and training in the improved care of their new animals. Maricon especially appreciated the trainings. "Before, we had experience caring for animals," she explained, "but no knowledge of how to make things better. I really enjoyed attending all of the trainings and learning new things."
Putting their new knowledge to work, Maricon and Roger began raising pigs and selling the piglets at market. This has provided a life-changing source of income; one that has kept the family together.
"I will never have to go back to Qatar because of what I learned in this project," Maricon says happily.
The income has also allowed them to pay for their daughters' school fees. This means everything to Roger. "This is the only heritage we will be able to give them."
Heifer's Despair to Dreams campaign has helped so many resourceful families in so many impoverished places around the world. It's all about empowerment — giving these determined people the tools and opportunities to help themselves out of poverty.
And it all starts with a gift from a special person like you.
By donating to Heifer today, you will help another poor family make their dreams of a better life come true.
