Have a cow, man

[khaosworks]

Now, this is a charity I can get behind.

Heifer International is the epitomy of the adage, "Give a man a fish and he'll eat today, but teach him to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime." They provide farm animals to needy families around the world and also teach them how to raise livestock, so they can use those animals to rear more animals. This is so much better than just simple handouts in the form of monetary disbursements as it gets them out of the cycle of dependence on those handouts - it puts them on the path to self-sufficiency. You can tell that I really, really like this concept.

On the website, you can donate whole animals, shares of animals, or even a whole menagerie of them if you can afford it. You can also give cash donations if that is your wont, but I suggest buying a goat ($120) or a gaggle of geese ($20), or some bees ($30), or even tree seedlings ($60). Again, you can also buy shares of whole animals.

(I bought a flock each of geese, ducks and chicks.)

Go and have a look. Give the gift of livestock.

Comments

[camwyn]

I've liked the Heifer Project for a long time. I've bought flocks of chicks in my grandfather's name as a Christmas present for a few years. This accomplishes several purposes - it avoids giving gifts that won't be used to someone who already has everything he needs, it pleases someone who is an avid collector of random crap with chickens on it, and it pleases Grandma, who is going bugnuts with all the chicken stuff he has around the house. And at the same time it makes sure somebody gets fed. They're really cool people.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I became aware of the Heifer Project in the late seventies, and have admired their work (and occasionally donated) ever since. Thanks for reminding me of their gift-appropriateness.

(It was called The Heifer Project when I first heard of it, I still think of it that way.)

[swisscheesed.livejournal.com]

That *is* neat.

[actiasluna.livejournal.com]

They are a very effective group. Unlike some of the others, which just throw food at these various communities, without ever really making life better. And sometimes, they even make life worse. One fiasco, I can't remember which group did it, but they sent a huge amount of baby formula, and the directions were all in English, and hello, the people couldn't read them. They didn't know how to mix the formula up, making the concoction much too weak, or much too strong. And, most people in the non-western world are lactose intolerant, so sending cow milk-based _anything_ is going to make people SICK.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the reminder.

A.
off to buy a father's day present...