A gift that keeps on giving?
A pregnant cat!
Or a yak.
That very
old joke came to mind when "The Most Important Gift
Catalog in the World." arrived this year.
But giving
someone an animal is no joke.
A young cow,
capable of producing four gallons of milk a day, can
change the lives of one of the world's struggling
families. Or you
might give someone a
sheep, a pig, a goat, rabbits, chickens, honeybees,
a water buffalo, a camel, llama, alpaca, yak, horse,
ducks, geese, fish, or tree seedlings.
A water buffalo in the
Philippines can produce milk, help farmers till the
soil, and haul heavy loads to market. Llamas in Bolivia
provide families with transportation, income, and wool
for blankets, ponchos, carpet and rope. A beehive in
Uganda helps a family earn money by selling honey and
beeswax; while pollinating fruit trees and vegetables to
increase yields for a whole village.
The hardest
decision is which animal to contribute. I'm seriously
considering a pig because when I was 12 the 4-H Club
gave me a free pig when I agreed to give one of her
first litter back to the club. That wonderful
Poland China sow delivered a first litter of 13.
You've just got to love 13 cute squishy piglet faces and curly
tails.
And thanks
to that sow and her pigs I didn't have to work my first
year of college.
As little as
$10 can buy a share of any animal or $120.00 will
provide a pig, a goat, or a sheep.
Once a poor
family in any of 125 nations completes training and
prepares appropriate facilities, they will receive a
healthy female animal. The family must give one or more
of the animal's female offspring to another needy family in
their community. The second recipient also must
contribute an offspring to a third needy family, and so
on. The charity, Heifer International, ensures there is
a healthy male animal in each community for breeding.
In it's first 60
years, says CEO Jo Luck, "Heifer assisted more than 10
million families worldwide." Luck says Heifer programs
have reinvigorated communities through livestock
training and "passing on the gift." More than
150,000 families last year got animals and 250,000 more
were trained in sustainable farming techniques.
Heifer International provides poor people
with clean water, access to education and
emergency housing. They raise funds from
chapters organized around schools, colleges
and churches. The organization also offers a
"wedding registry" in which engaged couples
can register for gifts to Heifer instead of
traditional wedding presents. Currently,
Heifer is embarking on a campaign called
"Hope for the Future," which is dedicated to
raising $800 million by 2010 to lift five
million more families worldwide to
self-reliance.
Heifer
operates three learning centers around the
United States. The Heifer Ranch, in
Perryville, Arkansas, became the first
educational center in the 1970s. Since then,
the Ceres Education Center in Ceres,
California, and Overlook Farm in Rutland,
Massachusetts, were added. All three offer
experiential learning programs for visitors
to learn about world hunger and poverty.
No rip-off worries here. Heifer
International has been named one of
Forbes magazine's top 10 charities. In
2004 it won the $1 million Conrad Hilton
Humanitarian Prize for its efforts to
eliminate hunger and help communities become
self-sustaining. The American
Institute of Philanthropy gave Heifer an
"Open Book Credit" for making complete
financial documentation available on
request.
A pig will cost me $120. But a flock of
Christmas chicks is only $20.
Maybe I can do both.
And give them in the name of someone
special.
What wonderful idea!
Find more information:
http://www.heifer.org ...
http://www.heifereducation.org
