Providing the Milk of Human Kindness
Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
You've probably heard that proverb. It comes from the
writings of 12th Century Sephardic Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides,
a rabbi, physician and Torah Scholar.
Today, Maimonides' proverb is one of the underlying
principles of Heifer International, the non-profit organization whose
mission is "to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and
to care for the Earth."
Heifer International, based in Little Rock, Arkansas, doesn't just
give food or money to people in need. It provides them with farm animals, tools
and education so that they can become self-sustaining, feeding themselves and
their communities and creating basic industries on which to build.
With Earth Day recently putting the focus on protecting the
Earth's vital resources of land, water and air, SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug
and Patti Kishel think now is the perfect time to focus on one more vital
resource - man...and the development of each person's health, well-being and
potential.
For Heifer International, that began with one cow named Faith...and the milk it provided.
Founded by Dan West, an Ohio farmer who served as an
aid worker during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Heifer International came
about when West realized that it wasn't enough to give hungry refugee children
a single cup of milk.
What they really needed was a cow. Then they could have
milk every day.
West turned his idea into a reality
in 1944 and the first three cows that were donated were named,
"Faith," "Hope," and "Charity."
To keep the momentum going and
"pass on the gift," the recipient families had to promise that they
would donate the first female calf born to another poor family - a practice of
giving forward that continues to this day.
Since then Heifer International has
grown into a worldwide organization that provides needy families in rural
villages with cows, chickens, bees, and a host of other animals...fish, pigs,
goats, sheep, cattle, oxen, water buffaloes, llamas, alpacas, camels, frogs and
rabbits.
This gives villagers both food to
eat and a source of income - milk, eggs, honey, and more that can be traded or
sold at market.
Heifer International also shows
people how to practice sustainable farming techniques and develop crops that
are suited to their local regions.
In addition to individual donations, Heifer International's
work is made possible by partners such as Danone, Foundacion Coca-Cola, Pepsico
Foundation, Keurig Green Mountain, Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, Starbucks,
W.K. Kellogg Foundation, WalMart, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and
others.
SurfWriter Girl Patti and her husband Greg Kishel were excited to hear from Heifer International this week that their donation went toward sending goats to Nepal as part of the Empowering Women Farmers
in Nepal project. The goal is to help 138,000 Nepalese families increase
their income to more than $2,000 a year by raising the goats and selling the
milk.
To date, Heifer International has worked in 125 countries and helped 25 million families lift themselves out of hunger and poverty.
To date, Heifer International has worked in 125 countries and helped 25 million families lift themselves out of hunger and poverty.
When it comes
to ending world hunger, it turns out:
Milk does a community good.
Milk does a community good.
Please post your comment below.
Comments will appear the next day.
