Nepal: Baby Cows, Big Dreams

Kamalamai is nestled in Nepal’s lush Sindhuli Valley, a quiet and peaceful rural area where Heifer International has worked alongside rural communities for decades.  

In February 2024, this community celebrated the birth of a very special calf. It is a female pure-bred Holstein — the first of an expected 73 calves that will be born by Holstein heifers that were gifted to the farmers of Nepal by the people of Korea that builds on a partnership between the two countries that stretches back 50 years.

The birth of this calf is an opportunity to recognize the challenges and the hopes that have led to her birth, as well as the historic collaboration between Heifer International and the people of Korea that supported the transfer of her mother from a dairy farm in Korea to this rural valley in Nepal.

The calf — named Gamsa in Korean and Dhanyabaad in Nepali, meaning “thank you” — belongs to a smallholder farming family that was among 50 recipient households raising the Holstein heifers. Her birth is important not just for the farmers who form part of this “Model Dairy Village” but also for the people of Nepal in the hope that her descendants will create opportunities for improved food security and a strong agricultural economy.

Guna Kumari Ghimire, the farmer who received Gamsa’s mother, Tosilee, is delighted to have the firstborn calf. “We are so happy to see Gamsa so healthy and strong. My family named her Gamsa because we are thankful for many gifts we received from Korea, starting with her mom, Tosilee, who flew from Korea.” She said, explaining that Korean dairy experts and veterinarians visited “many times” to provide specialized training and ongoing support on proper livestock management, including modernized shelter, feed and disease prevention.

Gamsa and her peers are part of a special breeding program that launched in December 2022 when the government of South Korea gifted 100 high-yielding Holstein heifers and eight breeding bulls to Nepal in a gesture of solidarity and an understanding of what it takes to alleviate poverty.

Holstein cows’ milk output can exceed 30 liters a day on average, more than three times that of most cows in Nepal. The eight breeding bulls were given to the Nepal Agriculture Research Council and three National Livestock Breeding Offices. Currently, 73 other heifers in Kamalamai are pregnant, underscoring the value of the Korean cows and how well they have adapted to their new environment and conditions.

Facilitated by Heifer International as part of a project that has been aptly called the "Milky Way," this initiative aims to bridge the gaps in Nepal’s dairy production to improve nutritional outcomes for vulnerable groups and encourage rural communities to build a thriving dairy industry. The calf's arrival marks the beginning of what will become a nucleus herd of productive dairy cows.

The project prioritizes the welfare of the animals at every step of the journey. Heifer International and veterinarians from South Korea and Nepal provided specialized training and ongoing support to the farmers on proper livestock management for the animals including preparing appropriate shelter, feed and disease prevention.

In an article published in the Korea Times, Chung Hwang-keun, Korean Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, described the efforts that led to the donation and transfer of the Holstein herd from Korea to Nepal. In the article, he noted that many Koreans volunteered and crowdfunded to support the initiative and that dairy farmers donated their heifers. The minister wrote that livestock farmers who started dairy farming with the milk cows provided by the international community [through Heifer International] joined the milk cow donation, thus adding more significance to the project.

 “The Korean government is extending its support in diverse ways, beyond donating heifers, to ensure that the Nepali dairy industry can follow the path Korea had taken… We are proud of this effort, and we are happy to be friends of the people of Nepal,” he wrote.

Little Gamsa is also a symbol of South Korea's remarkable journey. Once a recipient of development support in the form of animals and eggs from Heifer International during the 1950s, South Korea is now a donor nation, extending help and support to the people of Nepal in recognition of the tremendous support they received 70 years ago.

Now, Korea is Passing on the Gift® to Nepal to close the loop on a decades-old gift.

The transfer of the Holsteins to Nepal and the knowledge and support that has been necessary to ensure the successful birth of Gamsa and her peers is an example of Heifer’s Passing on the Gift model, which establishes sustainability throughout its programs by encouraging recipients to pass on their firstborn female animals to other families and communities in need, fostering a network of self-reliance.

Passing on the Gift is an important cornerstone of Heifer’s Values Based Holistic Community Development model, which strives to foster sustainable, locally led development and empowers farmers to become donors themselves, so that they take pride in giving and receiving inputs, livestock and training to multiply the impact of the initial investment.

A symbolic Passing on the Gift® ceremony to celebrate the calf’s birth occured on February 13, where the Korean Ambassador to Nepal was in attendance to mark this milestone. The event included the inauguration of the village as the “Korea-Nepal Sindhuli Model Dairy Village.” The community of Kamalamai Passed on the Gift by symbolically giving Gamsa to another model village to strengthen and solidify the relationships that will make the continuation of this project possible. She will stay with her mother till she is ready to be weaned.

In time, as more calves are born, the benefits of the first gift will grow exponentially so that dairy cooperatives thrive, access to veterinary services and knowledge sharing among farmers improves and the people of Nepal have more access to food and nutrition.

Korea and Nepal have developed reciprocal and cooperative relations based on long-standing trust and friendship – 2024 marks the 50 anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Both countries look forward to sharing the experience and know-how gained in this work with other countries. As the Milky Way project unfolds, it demonstrates the transformative potential of compassion, collaboration and a shared commitment to ending hunger and poverty while caring for the earth.