Heifer

Heifer International

Somewhere around the world, somebody is dying of hunger. They die of hunger because of poverty, lack of food and resources. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) reports that, "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2003 showed that the number of people suffering from chronic extreme hunger increased during the last half of the 1990s by 18 million. This means that 842 million people in developing and transition countries are severely undernourished--three times the total U.S. population" (Heifer International). There are a lot of people suffering from extreme hunger today in developing countries. Because of hunger and poverty, an undernourished person would be too weak to work efficiently resulting in low wages and poor productivity. Their hunger can lead to even greater poverty because of their poor health. The Bread for the World, a Christian citizen movement states that "Every day, more than 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds". It's sad to hear children dying of hunger but it is a reality. They are born into struggling families who cannot afford to feed them and provide good health care. Ending hunger and poverty is a possibility in the near future. One organization that helps end poverty and hunger is Heifer International.

Heifer International is an independent, non-profit organization that provides livestock to poor families in developing nations to use for farming, food production, and fertilization. It gives the struggling families the source of food which is the animal rather than the food alone. Heifer's mission is to care for the earth, end poverty and hunger by working with communities.

One example of Heifer International's work is the principle of "passing on the gift". It is a never-ending gift because the family who receives it passes it on to the next family and so on. The gift is an animal like a cow or a goat. The gift is given to poor families who are in need. Upon receiving the gift, the family is required to sign a contract stating that the animal will be used for its intended purpose and the animal can be taken away if the animal is harmed or neglected. The animal will provide the family a source of income and source of food in the form of eggs, milk, and meat. Heifer International provides the families training on how to feed and take care of the animal. "Passing on the Gift creates a living cycle of sustainability that develops community and enhances self-esteem by allowing project partners to become donors" (Heifer International). The family who received the animal passes the gift through the offspring of the animal to the next family. Families with the help of the animals given to them are going to be adequately nourished and the extra income they earn from the animal products can be used to send their children to school. The families create a strong bond in working together for a better future.

Another example of Heifer's work is "The Read To Feed Programme". Its goal is to educate people about poverty and how we can make a difference. The Read To Feed Programme "involves children obtaining sponsorship from parents, friends, and relatives for every book they read" (Heifer International). Students pledge to read books to raise money to buy animals for struggling families. The books and educational videos teaches the children about other cultures and the importance of caring. They learn about the people they are trying to help by the animals they are going to provide through fundraising. The Read To Feed Programme empowers the students with knowledge that they can make a difference through reading. It serves a dual purpose because students learn and help out at the same time. The fundraising