Heifer International and Third World Countries

Heifer International, an international loan bank, is a key step in creating a more sustainable world one cow at a time, one community at a time. With Heifers loans they give to poor countries in the form of livestock, third world countries finally have a chance to increase their economy and stabilize governments in their communities. The most basic transaction is being three stages. The first being to loan the cow to the village or person, the second is to pay off the initial cow by giving a calf in return, and the third is that any other calves birthed by the initial cow can be kept and not repaid nor given back (Afifi-Affat, K.A). With seven of Heifers' initiatives, bringing healthier lifestyles and cleaner communities, Heifer has proven to be a big player in the saving of the planet. Agro ecology, animal well being, gender equity, HIV/AIDS, microenterprise, urban agriculture, and young people's initiative are all part of the initiatives that Heifer has put into play. But one of the more important aspects of this program is protecting and educating the children. Children in these third world countries suffer a lot, not only physically, but emotionally as well. It is our responsibility, along with others, to help the children and stop the spread of infectious diseases to them.

Young people's initiatives are one of the most important initiatives that Heifer is trying to focus on. If one thinks about it in the sense of sustainability, the younger generations are the ones to upkeep that initiative and keep it strongly implanted in the society. If the younger generations in continents such as South America and Africa are dying due to malnutrition and other diseases along with poverty, then they will not carry on traditions and cultures that keep our world so diverse. Heifer helps those communities in need by providing them with what is needed and to teach them the proper way to live and flourish as a society. If children learn how to succeed in the environment that they live in, maybe someday they could rise up from their impoverished states and become a country in which businesses flourish and tourism is a major industry. But the future is dying off. Whether it is child trafficking, the spread of HIV/AIDS, or even poverty affecting the children, we have got to help the children flourish in their own country, mainly Africa where the most damage is being done.

Heifer international is educating people about the HIV/AIDS diseases contracted through various ways, which in turn create more aware people and decrease the death rates due to those immunity deprivations and diseases. Take American children for example: they live a lifestyle similar to their parents' and usually stay in the same socio-economic class when they are on their own because their parents taught them how to live that way. But take away the family, and instead of a parental figure, factor in a leadership figure educating about money managing and business. This is what is happening in third world countries, and Heifer is sending out teams of professionals to these countries to educate future leaders, and more importantly, future inhabitants of that society. Africa has the highest poverty rate and HIV/AIDS numbers in the entire world and some say that this cannot be changed, but with Heifer's initiatives to the young people's generations, this could be a thing of the past. With the help of Heifer, the younger populations are provided with the skills and tools needed to succeed in life and start to change their communities while making an impact on the larger society as a whole. Heifer not only provides the tools and skills for advancement, but allows for public knowledge of the fact that these kids are living this kind of life. The children in certain parts of the world often live in poverty with troubles finding proper nutrition, which is a major killer under the poverty line (Nutr, James). Child labor is still in full swing in some countries while the public knows nothing about this type of deed, and Heifer is reaching out and educating the public about this immoral act. Children in third world countries not only suffer from poverty, malnutrition and child labor, but sex trafficking as well. Getting children out of sex trafficking will mean that they would live longer lives (due to not having abusive owners), and have the opportunity to be educated in other aspects of life while possibly not getting infected with sexually transmitted diseases. Incorporating children into the education process will not only help the communities stay sustainable, but will make the children as equals to the community, and seen as a bright future for the community. Children will someday run the world we call home, so we have to make sure that they grow up understanding the characteristics of a culture that strives and accomplishes goals (Brooks, Jeanne).

It is proven that in Africa, the mortality rate in children younger than five in rural African villages was 30 to 50 percent. Almost half of the children will die by the time they reach five. Due to the poverty and malnutrition in these children, they keep dying. With organizations around the world trying to help the cause of poverty in Africa, and solve the problem with HIV/AIDS, another major problem in Africa, the mortality rate of these children has decreased and was steadily decreasing for the past 29 years (Mulholland, Kim, and Richard A. Adegbola).

A study was held by Laelia Gilborn in Africa about the amount of people with AIDS, which is sweeping the nation. She was surprised by the amount of people that were infected with the disease. Worse, children with parents that had the disease had to take care of the parents and worst of all, the children had to watch them suffer and die throughout their illness. The U.S Census Bureau estimates that by the end of 2010, 44 million mothers, fathers, or even both, would have died from the disease. When the article was written, in 2002 roughly 1.5 million children were infected with AIDS. Compared to adults, that is not too high of a number but it still matters. The most unlucky children are the ones who are infected at birth or infancy by their mother or anyone else they had contact with who has the infection. The true culprit in this struggle against AIDS is the monetary loss that families have due to the illness. The indirect costs of families not being able to work their fields and farm have an impact on the living situation of their children and family. When a family member dies, other members must contribute to a funeral and burial and monetary loss occurs from that as well. All of this leads to children being malnourished and living in poverty along with orphans that had the same loss in their lives. Another effect on children due to AIDS is emotional. After having their parents die and watching them suffer, they might have to switch around from foster home to foster home, and even their guardians might die, and it is events like these that take an emotional toll on a child's life. Households that consist of a person with AIDS are often segregated from the rest of the community. For example, neighbors might shun the household or move out of the village if able to (Gilborn, Laelia 5-8)

Child trafficking is also one of the problems being faced in third world countries. Some examples are for child labor, illegal adoption, illegal marriage and prostitution. There are multiple reasons why children are trafficked. The reasons behind trafficking in any society include the economic situation, family structures, changes in cultural attitudes, and lastly the demand for sex with children. A scary thought that was mentioned in the book was how children are increasingly in demand for organs. Another point that was emphasized was the problem with child pornography. Some children get kidnapped and taken across the country or even across the world so that pornography can be made. Not only do these websites still exist right now, but they are constantly being edited and added to. Families do not simply give their child away, but rather they are smooth-talked away by agents that take children for work related situations. It is only in some cases that the families or children get paid for their work. In most cases, child trafficking ends up with child sexual exploitation. Usually the intended purpose of trafficking is for labor, but in the end or even along the way, the result is usually sexual. Countries such as Cambodia and Thailand are one of the biggest importers of child trafficking. Men, mostly from Western Europe, travel to these countries in pursuit of having sex with a younger boy or girl where the chances of getting caught are slim to none. India, one of the major countries that promote child sex work and sex trafficking, is said to have children making up 31 percent of sex workers which is 400,000-500,000 children. But one fact that was researched is that some children choose freely to leave their home and go out and work, particularly as sex workers, due to their household situation of violence and/or poverty. North American and Western Europe have been places where it is proven that child and women trafficking occur most, and in southern Africa, this is not the case. More and more traffickers are taking their "steal" to Africa because trafficking is not widely known about in these areas. Mozambican witch doctors started ordering children and their vital organs, which is a sign of loosely structured trade of children. Africa has been the country that everybody has been moving to in order to hide from their own governments. For example, Cambodia and China are countries that are moving their trafficked "goods" into southern Africa because of the lack of the knowledge the local forces have about trafficking (Richter, Linda M., Andrew Dawes, and Craig Higson-Smith 143-150)

Sexual abuse in children who live in third world countries is also a big problem mainly due to the fact that there is not a very good justice system. The children take the violent physical abuse, along with the prolonged mental abuse that might stay with them for the rest of their lives. If we as citizens do not do anything about it, then this will continue to ruin the children's lives forever. Yes, it is true that in some cultures children are treated as adults. But when is the time to step in and tell them that this is wrong? African men are most likely to do this mainly because it shows their masculinity and their role in society, and to keep their masculine identity. But in doing so, they risk giving their diseases to the child, or even penetrating to the point of damage to internal organs that result in death or intense surgery (Richter, Linda M., Andrew Dawes, and Craig Higson-Smith 209, 211).

It is proven that some African cultures believe that the cure for HIV/AIDS is penetrating a virgin or a child. Some cultures believe that the child is considered to be a gift from God and the ancestors. But even these cultures have a rite of passage into adulthood. Something very cruel that I have read is that at a certain age in childhood, the small finger is cut off, and scars are created on their faces to initiate them to show they are ready for the future. The UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child), instated a law across the nations that cruelty and abuse of children is deemed illegal and if caught, the punishment will be harsh. Studies show that between 1993-1999 child abuses has increased by 108% (Richter, Linda M., Andrew Dawes, and Craig Higson-Smith 95-96). The sad part of this is that most of the children, or anyone else for that matter being abused, is less likely to tell others that they have been abused, mainly due to the fact that they do not want to break that taboo that exists in their culture. In turn, educating these cultures about sexual abuse of children is very difficult because the culture that is being educated had been practicing this taboo for centuries.

It is through schools and the media that the word is spread across Africa and other third world countries. At schools, sexual abuse cases are revealed and the media is coming in to cover the story which is broadcasted throughout the specific county. HIV and child abuse are closely related in Africa due to the myth that penetrating the child cures HIV, but HIV is such a horrible disease that the mere thought of it can make a person go crazy. In some instances, HIV has made people commit murders in their household and cities, and commit suicides. Centuries ago, when health care was not available and all the indigenous cultures believed that cleansing themselves through a virgin would be the best way to rid them of the infectious disease, the myth was spread. HIV has a major impact on the mistreatment of children. If a mother is infected with HIV/AIDS, and is not able to work, the child of the house would be burdened with taking care of the parent, and in order to make money, on some occasions, go out and be a prostitute. Children aged anywhere from two to 14 with an STD or HIV/AIDS will have contracted it through a sexual abuse case (Richter, Linda M., Andrew Dawes, and Craig Higson-Smith 180-190)

Everyone deserves to have a chance to live peacefully. Imagine if you didn't grow up in the United States and grew up in Africa, where child abuse and disease ran ramped. You probably wouldn't end up the way you are due to physical and emotional stress and pain. We must look at this issue through the children's eyes and see what would be best for them. Until then, we must keep educating them and trying to take them to safe havens. We must not let these kids down because in the end we are all human beings.

Even though the children are of great importance in this world, current inhabitants of the earth also need to help protect their communities and the world. The principles and practices necessary to successful human and community development are needed in our lives, our cities, and our work ethics. Using Heifers "PASSING ON THE GIFTS" acronym, we realize that most of these would apply to our everyday lives and even some to my career after graduation. Some of these characteristics include accountability, sharing and caring, sustainability and genuine need, improving the environment, full participation, training and education. In my career, incorporating these characteristics is of vital importance. All of these have a severe impact on how architecture is thought of, designed and built. With accountability, architects have to set goals for the future of their design, how it would interact with the environment and keeping in mind how the design would function. Sharing and caring also is incorporated into the architecture world by keeping the client's needs in mind, and B. how it affects the world. Two other characteristics fall into this category, having to do with the environment and how we care for it. Improving the environment and sustainability follow sharing and caring are all included in the job description. With sustainability, architects build greener buildings, which in turn help the overall population by not creating off-gassing and poisoning the population. Sustainability is possibly the most important aspect of architecture in today's society, due to the limited resources that our world is starting to have. With the long term effect that buildings have on the world, we have to design according to the world, because every day, less and less of the world is available for human use. Because of our constant use of the world's resources and the damage we do to it daily, we need to improve the environment so that our children will live better, healthier lives. With sustainability, sharing and caring, we improve the environment one person at a time. Also, full participation is needed. Having an architecture degree from anywhere means that training and education were done to achieve that goal. With all of the characteristics having to do with the career that I am going to, accomplishing them is a different story. In order to "think green", one must have a certification in green building from the United States Green Building Council (U.S.G.B.C). Architects endure long, hard hours to solve problems that will make the building functional, yet aesthetically pleasing while keeping the clients wants and needs in mind. Architectures by nature are problem solvers. They have to know a little bit about everything in order to create their designs. Some designs need to incorporate cultures, some need to incorporate an object, and some need to incorporate and idea.

As a citizen, incorporating Heifer's values is of utmost importance. The world is our sanctuary, and we as citizens must take care of it and everything in it. Doing the little things in life is possibly the most important to our future. Picking up our trash, recycling, and preserving all help our environment and our economy thrive. Heifer is going international with these objectives into third world countries. If we as a whole, with Heifer, strive to end world hunger, our entire planet will thrive from the wealth that people are achieving and from each person fulfilling their duty in their economy. Even though we are sure that this will be almost impossible, helping out one person at a time will help guide along the process. One person will affect one village, and one village will affect a whole community, etc. Passing on the Gifts does not apply to one person, but a variety of people, a variety of cultures, and the determination to further the advancement of the world.

Somewhat like Grameen bank, Heifer provides hope for the future of third world countries and poorer peoples. Even though Grameen bank gave hope to only women that formed groups, Heifer gives hope to everyone that qualifies. Grameen Bank focused more on the group aspect of giving so that loan sharks will not cheat them out of their profits or products. The women had to work together to produce a profit however they saw fit, and to repay the loan in a timely fashion. Heifer International on the other hand provides to anyone in need, whether in Nigeria, Mexico, or Poland. Global Solutions and initiatives for Heifer International are one step closer to making the world a better place. Being a determined citizen in the United States means that it is necessary to view the rest of the world as our equals. If we view the world as our equals, then we will strive to help the people who are struggling in their countries out. It doesn't work out that well at times, but this isn't for the person who is selfish. As a citizen, incorporating Heifer's Global Solutions is one of the primary goals to make this planet be here for generations to come. Acroecology goes back to the fact that we all should recycle, and one person does make a difference contrary to popular belief. Animal well-being is one of the more important things in this world.

Cows, chickens, pigs, and lambs all provide food for us and it is our responsibility to respect these creatures because it is the source of our nutritional values and even vegetarians have to respect the animals because they graze the fields and don't let plants and weeds go overpopulated. Gender equity is important because it creates equality in our social justice system which is the next step to ending world hunger. Active citizens strive to be helpful in the community and the world in such jobs as scientists who try to discover the cure for HIV/ AIDS. HIV/AIDS has killed more than one hundred million people and counting in the world. People affiliated with Heifer, and in general, should be educated about the dangers of unprotected sex, and should be taught how to do it the right way or practice abstinence, such as in some religions. The children especially need this help to make our future a better place. Providing a microenterprise for our economy would make everybody equal in the sense that nobody would have to pay back interest on loans to further their social interest. Also, with young people being our future entrepreneurs, we need to make sure that their needs are fully met and that they live a healthy lifestyle. Hunger is the cause of death in over fifteen million kids a year Dierolf, Thomas S. 268).

With all of these initiatives trying to be put into place by Heifer, the world is taking a turn for the better, along with Kiva and other third world donors and loaners. Children will be more educated about their surroundings, and be more aware of their place in the future. The way we think about our future should make us think more about what we can do to fix it. Global warming, genocides, economy crisis, and the children all need to be addressed and worked on in this time of need. In the ideal world, children will not be abused and be free to education and pursue their dreams in any way, shape or form, and current citizens will help them out as well. The earth is our life, and with proper care for the environment and people within it, it will strive to stay our life, but if we do not take care of it, and not address the problems we are facing, we may not have the brightest of futures lined up ahead of us.