Not Just Any Cow Will Do
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“Heifer has given us back our lives and made room for the future of my grandchildren,” says Kotyk Maria Dmytrivna.
© Heifer International
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In the Ukrainian village of Zaviy, local farm families struggled for years to come up with enough food and income due to the poor quality, low-producing cattle they owned.
But after receiving pure-bred Simmental and Ukrainian Red and White cattle from Heifer International – along with agricultural equipment, veterinarian supplies, special fodder and training – these farmers have significantly increased their nutritional standards, improved their agricultural practices and generated much more income to support their families.
“Until Heifer arrived, our village had very few cows
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Vasil Stasyuk and his niece, Mariana, now have productive cattle thanks to Heifer.
© Heifer International
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producing milk. We owned a cow but it produced very little milk,” said Svetlana Daniv, mother of four. “[But] with the new pure breed we have enough milk to feed our entire family. We give milk twice daily to the calf and we are still able to make about $50 each month in milk sales,” she said. “We are so grateful.”
Another Svetlana, Zaviy’s local veterinarian, Svetlana Prokopiev, said she’s seen many positive and healthy changes in the farmer’s attitude toward their animals since Heifer came along.
“Our local farmers knew only one method of feeding,” she said, “And it was costing more to just feed and keep the local cow – with very few benefits. “But because of Heifer training they are now adding minerals to the food to improve the health and productivity of their animal.
”The local breed produces, at most, three liters in the morning,” Svetlana continued, “while our Heifer cows are giving seven-to-eight liters. This is why Heifer’s cow is truly a gift. The name of the Heifer project here is ‘Help for the Families and Improving the Quality of Breed.’ The title speaks for itself.”
"All That Was Needed Was Basic Food"
Svetlana Daniv, the mother, has one child, Igor, who contracted leukemia after the Chernobyl crash of 1986.
“He was born in 1986 and diagnosed with leukemia in 1988,” she said. “Every year we had to send him to the hospital. After the collapse of the Soviet Union everything changed and we had very little money to provide for our family. We tried for eight months to receive radiation treatments but could not afford it.
“But now, because of Heifer International, my family and families within the group are earning money to prosper,” she said, adding, “Igor would not be alive without the help of Heifer. He is doing so much better because we can provide him with the nutritional diet and medicines his body needs. He is a brave boy and tries to live like the rest of us. Perhaps, with our Heifer cow, he stands a better chance.”
And Kotyk Maria Dmytrivna, a grandmother who has cared for her grandchildren for nine years, calls Heifer “our savior.”
“Without our cow, these children would have surely died,” she said. “All that was needed was basic food – milk, cheese, cream. Thanks to this cow, they will remain healthy.”
In the village of Zaviy, there is visible hope and enthusiasm from the local farmers. Additional training in caring for animals and the environment, the arrival of pure bred animals and an increase of milk productivity will eventually bring economic security to both family and future.
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