Heifer International: Promoting Prosperity Throughout the World

There are many charities that provide handouts to the needy, but Heifer International focuses on teaching communities how to prosper on their own. While Heifer International gives gifts of livestock or related materials to people in need, it also teaches these communities how to raise livestock and manage agricultural operations efficiently for ongoing prosperity. Heifer International requires the recipients of its donations to pass on the gift by donating one or more of the offspring of their livestock to another needy community or village. In this way, Heifer International hopes to bring sustainable prosperity not just to an individual family but over time to entire villages and regions that have previously lived in poverty.
Community Input

Livestock can provide milk, cheese, meat, wool, eggs, or honey not only for the immediate consumption of those in the village, but also to be sold. The income allows the community to increase the size of the venture over time in an upward spiral of prosperity. It is the community itself that often suggests the type of livestock or other agricultural needs that would be best suited for their own needs. By listening to the community and acting with local input, Heifer International projects are much more likely to be embraced by the community rather than being viewed as a group of outsiders trying to tell the community how they should live.

Promoting Equality

One of the notions that Heifer International does try to impose from outside is the idea that men and women jointly share in the decision making and organization of the effort on an ongoing basis. To some cultures, this means altering their usual way of doing things. Li Ji Shan, a beneficiary of Heifer International in Tibet, says on the Heifer International website "My voice has become stronger since Heifer International. Our family and the role of the woman has become more equal in both decision making and the care for the animals." In this way, communities are well-positioned to use the talents and intelligence of all of people in their quest for prosperity. The success of these efforts sets an example which demonstrates the link between equality and prosperity within the community.

Sustainable Practices and Environmental Responsibility

Heifer International also focuses on sustainability and environmental responsibility. Experts teach community members how to preserve the land for the future, while meeting the needs of today. This means that principles such as reforestation, improving agricultural soil quality, and maintaining the integrity of local watersheds are taught to local communities. The need to preserve the environment is derived from the need to provide for the future of each individual community. Agricultural practices that devastate the soil or water cannot provide continued prosperity for the children of the community.

Help Support Heifer International

Heifer International is a charitable foundation that relies on the efforts of volunteers for fund-raising and support. To learn more and find out how you can help, visit Heifer.org today. Poverty is a global problem that affects us all. With ongoing projects in the United States and around the world, your support of Heifer International is one way that you can contribute and pass along some of the blessings that you've received to others in need.