Passing on a Cow in China

ZHUYU, China—On April 6, 2009, Shi Shunlin will honor his commitment by passing on one cow. For Shi, who is almost 60 years old, he had never dreamed of a life like he’s living now.

Shi’s village, Zhuyu, lies in the watershed around the Qinghai Lake, the largest inland saltwater lake in China. Like other communities around the lake, Zhuyu suffered from environmental problems, such as pasture degeneration and desertification. Limited livelihood had always been a top concern for the nomadic and farming people here.

On Oct. 26, 2006, three months after Shi applied for the project, as one of the first batch of 120 project families, he received a dairy cow, as well as a new solar cooker. Since then, Shi and his wife have put all their efforts into taking care of the cow. By the end of 2007, they were rewarded with a calf and, what’s more, fresh milk every day. Extra milk also brought cash income for the family.

Prior to the project, the annual income of the couple was not more than $300. Now the monthly income just from selling milk is $50. With the solar cooker, there’s no more need for firewood to boil water. And the cattle manure saved during summer and autumn is enough to heat their brick bed in winter, hence no more expenses for the family.

“I had never expected that I could have such an opportunity to learn so much useful things at my age,” Shi said. “Heifer has been teaching me much more than what I learned from school, and I’m so proud of my efforts.”