816-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 10,1990
Solving The Problem Of Hunger One Family At A Time
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Fanning Staff
NEW WINDSOR, MD For
half of the human race, the world is
a hungry place. Every 24 hours,
hunger and starvation kills 35,000
people 24 every minute.
Many people, although sym
pathetic toward the plight of the
hungry, feel frustrated by not
knowing how to help the hungry.
In 1930, an Indiana farmer, Dan
West, helped distribute powdered
milk to those suffering from the
destruction of the Spanish Civil
War.
He believed that handouts made
people more dependent upon out
side help. He sensed the humila
tion and despair the people felt as
they waited in line each day for
their daily rations.
West reasoned that the best way
to help others is to find ways for
them to help themselves.
“If the people had their own
cow, they could care for it, milk it
and feed themselves,” he said.
His idea birthed the Heifer Pro
ject International, a non-profit,
interfaith organization helping to
alleviate world hunger, one family
at a time.
According to the Project’s rules,
the recipient must pass on the heif
er’s first female offspring to a
neighbor in need.
In 1944, the first shipment of
heifers was sent to a country in
need. Since then, the Heifer Pro
ject International has provided
over 90,(XX) animals; 1,350,000
fowl; 5,000 bee hives and
1,300,000 fish fingerlings to
impoverished families throughout
the world.
Gifts have been sent to 110
countries and 33 states in the U.S.
Sue Richardson, associate for
the the volunteer activities, recen
tly accompanied a shipment to
Uganda. “When you see the differ
ence this project makes it gives
parents hope, allows children to
attend schools—you are never the
Sue Richardson, associate for volunteer activities at the
Heifer Project New Windsor Office, wears and holds sam*
pies of sweatshirts sold to promote helping others' help
themselves by giving a cow.
A Gift Of Hope - A Gift Of Ufe
same,” she said.
The Heifer Project is a thor
oughly researched program that
not only gives animals, but pro
vides training and breeding assis
tant along with a self-governing
community group. A training
program is carried on by VIVA,
Vets In Volunteer Assistance.
Each request for animals is thor
oughly examined. Some are
denied. The Project’s Department
of Global Services examines each
request carefully and works with
sponsoring groups to complete for
mal proposals. Final approval of
projects is made by the board of
directors on basis of need, adequ
ate facilities, training of particip
ants and a plan for passing on a
gift
When Richardson accompanied
the Uganda shipment, she said the
recipients needed to have prepared
a zero-grazing area.
“Part of the problem has been
with the nomadic nature of the
Ugandians,” Richardson said.
“The grazing cattle have destroyed
the environment. For that reason,
we require that recipients prepare a
zero-grazing area to house the ani
mal. These vary in style from place
to place, but typically are built
with sticks and grass-thatched
roofs.
Elephant grass needs to be
planted so that the animal can be
hand-fed. This requires the family
to have access to a plot of land.
Sometimes families will walk
three miles to an available plot to
gather elephant grass for their
animals.
“Time and distance mean
nothing to the African people,”
Richardson said. “They are so
thrilled to get an animal, that they
generally do a terrific job of caring
for it.”
If they don’t, a self-governing
committee appointed by the com
munity decides whether or not the
animal should be taken away and
given to another family.
The first female offspring will be passed on to another person In need by the reci
pient of this heifer.
These children will now have milk to drink because someone cared enough to send
them a cow.
If an animal dies, the committee
decides if it has died through
neglect
Richardson tells about a com
munity that had been given a bull.
They were warned that it needed to
be fed more to remain healthy. The
community ignored the warnings
and the bull died. Distraught the
community begged the Project for
another. “We have cows, but we
cannot breed them. Please send us
another bull.”
They were told that the bull was
their responsibility and since it
died, it was the community’s
responsibility to replace it By sav
ing a percentage from the sales of
milk, the community eventually
collected enough money to purch
ase another bull. This time, their
care keeps the bull quite healthy.
‘The experience taught them to
become independent” Richardson
remarked. “And that is the purpose
of the project We do not want
them to look to us for handouts.”
Not only is milk an essential part
of the diet, but the manure is used
to improve soil quality. Recipients
are taught to build a trough made
with mud and clay to collect the
manure until ready to spread. Pic
tures show the difference between
the scrawny com and the tall, ver
dant leaves of those fertilized.
After each shipment extensive
records are kept to show what hap
pens to families who receive a
cow. In addition to increasing their
nutritional intake, families benefit
economically by selling excess
milk to neighbors.
For example, in 1984, Emma
nuel Pallangyo of Mulala village
earned less than one dollar a day.
He lived on subsistence farming
that barely provided for his fami
ly’s needs. Then he received a pre
gnant heifer that has provided 13
liters per day average during the
early months of each three lacta
tions. This has provided him with
an income of approximately $4 to
$5 per day over and above what his
family consumes. From the sale of
milk, he has been able to build a
.house with a cement foundation,
oil-treated lumber, and a corru
gated steel roof. He has purchased
a second cow and been able to buy
an additional one-half acre land.
He has passed on a heifer calf to his
neighbor who was selected by the
project committee.
“It’s unbelievable the
amount of red tape required to
transport animals to another coun
try,” Richardson said.
In Harrisburg, donated animals
are quarantined in a holding bam
for 30 days. When a shipment is
loaded in a cargo plane, care must
be given to load it so that it is
balanced.
Current needs
Richardson said that only high
quality milk producing cows are
sent to other countries. Currently,
the Project needs 110 Holstein
heifers and six bulls for a shipment
to Jordan. Jerseys are needed for a
project in North Carolina and
Kentucky.
For those who cannot donate a
whole heifer, shares can be pur
chased. Gifts are tax deductible.
For more information, write to
Sue Richardson or John Dieterly,
P.O. Box 188, New Windsor. MD ]
21776 or call (301) 635-6161 or«
(800) 422-0474.