2967. Heifer International

Heifer International is a global nonprofit with the goal of ending poverty and hunger in a sustainable fashion. Established in 1944, Heifer International gives out gifts of livestock, seeds and trees and extensive training to those in need.. Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, Heifer International has helped more than 13.6 million families (71 million people) in more than 125 countries.

American farmer Dan West, the founder of Heifer International, was serving as a Church of the Brethren relief worker in Spain during the Spanish Civil War when he became frustrated at being forced to decide how to allocate the very limited rations of milk to refugees (see rationing, triage). Upon his return to the United States, he founded Heifers for Relief, an organization dedicated to providing permanent freedom from hunger by giving families livestock and training so that they "could be spared the indignity of depending on others to feed their children." The basic philosophy of Heifers for Relief was based on the proverb, "Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; you have fed him for a lifetime." West's "Give not a cup, but a cow" set the example for what would become Heifer’s sustainability model, which includes Passing on the Gift.[2] With this, each participating family would study animal husbandry and agree to Pass on the Gift, to donate any female animal offspring to another family. In this fashion, he imagined that a single gift would multiply far beyond the original investment. Heifers for Relief became an official project of the Church of the Brethren's Brethren Service Committee in 1942, and the first shipment of 17 heifers went from York, Pennsylvania to Puerto Rico in 1944.

Today the organization is known as Heifer International and gives gifts of cattle, sheep, rabbits, honeybees, pigs, llamas, water buffalo, heifers, chicks, ducks, goats, geese, other regionally appropriate livestock, as well as tree seedlings. As of 2010, these animals and plants have been distributed in more than 125 countries around the globe. Each gift furthers Heifer's interest in agroecology, sustainability and the environment.
Heifer International works to ensure that the gift of each animal will eventually help an entire community to become self-sustaining. Animals such as goats, water buffalo and camels are "seven M" animals: they provide meat, milk, muscle, manure, money, materials and motivation. Once its immediate needs have been met, a family is free to sell any excess at market. Participating families are required to "Pass on the Gift", that is: they must give at least one of the female offspring to a neighbor who has undergone Heifer's training. In time, that neighbor will pass along one of the offspring of its animal, and so on.
Traditionally, Heifer raises funds from individuals, organizations, associations and congregations, though there is commitment to work with multilaterals, bilaterals, foundations, corporations and governments to create wealth and nutrition-building futures and opportunities for families in need. The organization also offers a variety of fundraising options, including Team Heifer and gift registries, including a "wedding registry" in which engaged couples can register for gifts to Heifer instead of traditional wedding presents.
Heifer International provides sustainable development education resources and opportunities for all ages, including a hands-on learning center, Heifer Village, adjacent to Heifer International's world headquarters. Whether you are an adult or a child, a student or a teacher, Heifer education offers a chance to better understand global hunger and poverty – and come away with a re-energized determination to be part of the solution to world poverty.