50 Cents is Not Enough

The staggering number of malnourished children in many of the countries around the world adds such urgency to Heifer's work.

Imagine having to put your kids to bed hungry each night … or being unable to afford medicine when they are sick … or even being unable to clothe them so they can attend school.

This was the life of Judith Mumenang and Joseph Bumenang of Cameroon before Heifer's help. For families in Cameroon, a staple diet consists of mainly taro or porridge. Meat is a luxury, eaten on average once or twice a year. Many families suffer from Kwashiorkor – a malnutrition-related disease characterized by a distended stomach, loss of hair and teeth, and extreme susceptibility to deadly diseases like malaria.

Before receiving Heifer gifts, Joseph earned a meager 50 cents a day. Thanks to the gift of goats and other livestock and training, the family now has an annual income of about $660.  "I have given myself some employment," he says proudly.

They've been able to pay for school fees for the children, bills, medicines, cooking pots and water pipes.

And after several years of near starvation, Judith said of her children, "All of them are healthy and are growing well."

Even a family living in the most dire of circumstances can become self-reliant and healthy and pave a way to a better future – but it takes donors like you to give them a chance.

By becoming a Friend of Heifer and pledging to make a gift every month toward a herd of three goats, you can empower families just like Judith and Joseph's to become self-reliant.

Your dollar-a-day commitment will mean renewed hope as the gift of three goats becomes a catalyst for tremendous transformation.

Please consider giving a herd of goats today through Friends of Heifer.