A common goal of Heifer projects in Vietnam is to improve the livelihoods and incomes of participants through physical inputs and trainings. During project implementation and management, Heifer focuses on seeking resources for training materials to improve the capacities and skills of farmers living in remote areas. Heifer conducted trainings combining Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development training with household waste treatment with new materials offered by the Norwegian Mission Alliance.
Ta Tauk and Kampong Lpao are two poor rural communities in northwestern Cambodia. Most people here depend mainly on forest products, hunting and cutting trees to make their livings.Living conditions are very poor, with many difficulties and huge shortages. Lack of knowledge, skills and harmony within the community have had a negative impact on agricultural productivity and production. The people cannot seem to find a way out toward development although they have opportunities to work with local and governmental and international non-governmental organizations. To help solve the issues, Heifer, in partnership with the Khmer Community Development Association, started the project Improving Income and Nutrition Through Community Empowerment in August, 2012, by working with 10 self-help groups (SHGs) that consist of 250 families from six villages. Battambang province.
"I have never felt more humbled in my life. These women did not have much, but you couldn’t have seen happier and more content faces." Heifer India employee Rachna Paliwal shares her experiences of visiting a women's self-help group in India.
From the original 100 families of Heifer Philippines’ Capacity Building and Harnessing Animal Gifts to transform Lives and Nurture the Environment (CHATON) project, 25 families from one Self-Help Group passed on gifts of swine, goats, fruit and forest tree seedlings, farm tools and hand-weaving sets on November 23, 2012. 
The cycle of hope and giving in Sabangan, Mt. Province, Philippines, continues to grow even more than a year after the completion of the Women Initiated Sustainable Entrepreneurship through Gift-Integrity Values and Environmental Restoration (WISE GIVER) project. The 44 second-generation Passing on the Gift® recipient families lovingly organized the third-generation POG with support from original families and first-generation pass-on families.
Students at the QSI International School of Chengdu in China showed great enthusiasm for reading to raise money for rural, poverty-stricken people through Heifer’s Read to Feed program. 
During a recent Passing on the Gift® ceremony, 23 original project participants passed the gift of cash to another 23 families in Bo Fo Village, China, on Oct. 26, 2012. 
Emerging youth leaders in Mindanao developed their public service skills and learned about the importance of sustainable development through a new internship program. The United States Embassy of Cultural Affairs in Manila, Heifer Philippines and the National Youth Commission (NYC) sponsored the program, which was held October 22-31, 2012.
Pa Phoeuk, 31, and her husband live with their two-year-old son in Cambodia’s Andoung Khmer village, Chhouk district, Kampot province. They work very hard in rice production to support their family. However, since rice is their only crop, there is rarely enough production for year-round consumption. In October 2010, Phoeuk joined a women’s group within Heifer’s Improving Marginalized Groups Livelihood and Values-Based Holistic Community Development project, which is implemented in partnership with Khmer Women Cooperation for Development (KWCD). She actively participates in her group’s savings scheme, monthly meetings and other activities. Through the project, her family received technical and non-technical trainings, as well as two piglets (one for fattening and a sow for breeding) for income generation. After participating in the project for one year, Pa Phoeuk’s family was markedly different, having improved in terms of the three levels of impact.
Soun Tho lives in Thmey village, Kampong Seila commune, Kampong Seila district, Pres Sihanuk Province. She is a housewife and her husband is a farmer. They have four children. During our visit, she shared how she felt before joining the self-help group (SHG). Back then, she was not involved in community activities. Her lack of knowledge made her too shy to participate. Besides, she was always busy with rice cultivation and raising animals for her family to sell for income. These activities left very little time for anything else. Even though she worked hard to earn money for her family, they always struggled because the animals they raised had very poor productivity and brought a low sale price.
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