Heifer International

June 15, 2004 10:39 AM

A Living Loan
In 1936, a Midwestern farmer named Dan West travelled to Spain to serve as a relief worker in the chaos of the Spanish Civil War. Ladling out rations of milk to hungry children, he realized that he was being forced to decide who would receive the limited rations and who wouldn’t – literally, who would live and who would die. This kind of aid, he knew, would never be enough. He returned to the United States in 1938 and began working to build a better kind of aid.
posted by Irontom (8 comments total)

This better aid is livestock, and the training to manage it for ongoing and future returns. Today, Heifer International works with communities to identify their resources and needs, planning the specific activities that will allow them to accomplish their goals. Every family and community that receives assistance promises to repay this "living loan" by donating one or more of their animal’s offspring to another family in need. This practice of passing on the gift ensures long term project sustainability, and is meant to develop community and enhance self-esteem by allowing project partners to become donors themselves.

"This is Heifer’s sustainable approach to ending hunger and poverty - one family, one animal at a time. It’s not temporary relief. It’s not a handout. It’s securing a future with generations of people who have hope, health and dignity."

Full Disclosure: I'm not affiliated with these guys in any way. I came across them a while back, and it seems to me that they are doing good work in a world that's been very depressing to me recently.
posted by Irontom at 10:40 AM on June 15, 2004

Thanks a lot Irontom.
posted by substrate at 11:11 AM on June 15, 2004

Wow, that's great, more charities should work like this.
posted by Space Coyote at 12:21 PM on June 15, 2004

I love this outfit. My husband and I sent "Mothers day baskets" from them in our Mom's names this year. As a result, mothers in need received bees, seedlings and chicks. And we got some serious brownie points with our Moms.
posted by Fenriss at 12:33 PM on June 15, 2004

Huh. No SUV's.
posted by stonerose at 12:45 PM on June 15, 2004

received bees
Fenriss, a full bee hive or a queen bee to start one?
posted by thomcatspike at 1:44 PM on June 15, 2004

I've been sending Heifer animals as Christmas gifts for years. Familys with kids really get into it. Virtual animals. Heifer is one of the better run and well known and has a great reputation.
posted by stbalbach at 2:35 PM on June 15, 2004

I'm totally sending someone some bees in the mail. And I can tell them it's for their benefit too.
posted by Space Coyote at 2:46 PM on June 15, 2004