Hope in the Valley

This dry valley along the Jinsha River has been the burden of local farmers for generations. The sun burns the steep slopes and there is not much rainfall. For Gangou village, the harvest from the arid land was limited. Even though some villagers raise goats, the output was little.

He Yufang, 46, was one of the villagers who suffered from poverty. Before joining the Heifer International project, his only income was from picking matsutake and planting potatoes. The annual income for the whole family of five was about $150. Their old house’s roof was broken and leaking.

He Yufang received 20 gift goats from Heifer and learned to plant white kidney beans. The family used to have apple trees, but due to lack of management, the apples were of poor quality. The training conducted by Heifer’s local project partner taught them how to manage apple trees. The apples were sold to the market with good price. With He Yufang’s hard work, their income and living standard improved greatly. They even built a new house was built.

As return to the community, He Yufang contributed his skills to the construction of playground. “This is a good project,” he said. “I am very active because I think our future generations will also benefit from it. This is for my two kids.”