Donations Through Heifer International are Changing Lives for the Better

Heifer Project International
Thursday, 1 November 2001

LITTLE ROCK, AR - Livestock donated through Heifer International is having a direct impact on the lives of families and their surrounding communities, as illustrated in the following two accounts:

The Dream That Came True Through Goats

In Uganda, a Heifer International dairy goat paid for all seven of Mrs. Biira's children to attend school. For many years, life was not easy for the family. Their tiny house with a leaking thatch roof was damp and crowded. Mrs. Biira longed for enough money to send her bright children to school and build a better place to live. But first, she willingly passed on her goat's first offspring to another family in need.

Year after year, Mrs. Biira followed Heifer's advice. Every member of the family worked diligently with the dairy goats before and after school. The goats thrived, and the family's standard of living improved. In time, they were able to build a new house with a sturdy tin roof. Mrs. Biira is very proud of her success and is happy for her daughter Beatrice, who has received a scholarship to a private high school in Kampala. In fact, a children's book, Beatrice's Goat, was written by Page McBrier about Beatrice's true experience. The book climbed to number three on the New York Times best-seller list for children's picture books and has also been recognized by Oprah.

Solidarity Breeds Success

Southern Peru is rocky and barren. It's a struggle to make a living in the semiarid climate. People depend on sheep because the land won't grow much. Inevitably, pastures have been overgrazed, and the ecosystem is deteriorating.

But 23 families have made up their minds to put an end to this downward spiral. They are working with Heifer International to make things better for everybody. These families have pooled their resources and are planting native trees, nurturing fragile pastures when it rains and corralling the flocks. Together, the participants are improving breeding practices so flocks can be smaller but more productive. Some families are even studying microbusiness administration so their group's sheep-raising enterprise can become even more profitable.

For more information, or to contact Heifer Project International, see their website at: www.heifer.org