Having a Cow

The Heifer Project International gives poor families hope
Community Feature, that's Beijing

By Darlene Lee

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Working on the premise that self-reliance is the greatest gift of all, Heifer Project International (HPI) seeks to give impoverished families the skills to provide for themselves. Since its founding in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1944, this international rural development organization has provided livestock to over 4 million families around the world. These animals provided both income and foo - whether in the form of milk, eggs, wool or draft power. Recipient families are often able to double or even triple their income within fiver years.

HPI's first gift to China was 550 heifers in 1946. Since then, HPI has implemented nearly 60 projects across 13 provinces. Animals provided in China include dairy and beef cattle, yaks, dzos, meat and dairy goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, mules, pigeons, chicken, ducks, geese, bees and silkworms. Over 3 million animals have already been given to nearly 32,000 families across 10 ethnic groups, and the original investment of USD 6 million has generated detect economic expansion of USD121 million (approximately RMB 1 billion). HPI/China, headquartered in Chengdu, manages this with just 14 full time staff and 8 full-time volunteers. According to Director of Resource Development, Ms. Peilin Cheng, "The overall goal for HPI China is to help rural families create community life which is healthy, fulfilling and profitable. Animals are an essential tool for helping local communities achieve sustainable development."

One of the organization's most important principles is the commitment made by all participating families of "Passing on the Gift." Recipients either give to another family the equivalent amount of livestock they received (after breeding) or return the loan used to purchase livestock. This form of aid is exemplified by the case of Ren Xuping, a farmer from Dayi County , Sichuan. Unable to finish school because of his family's poverty, he was given two rabbits in 1985. Quickly thereafter, he was able to supply several other families with a livelihood by not only sharing the animals, but also through opening a school for rabbit farming. HPI initial gift to 4 families has now reached the 30 th generation, with over 18,000 rabbits being passed on to nearly 4000 families. It is this combination of "Passing on the Gift" and comprehensive training that has allowed HPI to affect the lives of over 24 million people in 128 countries all over the world.

Recently, HPI set their sights on Qian Huo Ling(QHL), a small town just outside of Beijing , where they have established a sheep project. "There haven't been any project in Beijing for the simple reason that no one thought we would find much poverty near one of China 's most prosperous cities," says Ms. Song, QHL Project Coordinator and a 12-year volunteer. "However, when we looked, we found QHL, whose 254 households (756 people) have a per capita income of less than RMB1000. This is already below the nation's average, and far less than the average income in Beijing. Most people here receive government aid to survive."

The investigative team from Chengdu concluded that raising sheep was the most practical potential activity given the limited arable land, cold climate and lack of other natural resources. Since its inception in 2001, the QHL Animal Raising Center has provided more than 500 sheep to the village. A researcher from the Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Services taught locals about animal nutrition and helped develop a feed formula based on readily available materials. "It was very challenging in the beginning to persuade the villagers to change some of their traditional habits," Ms. Song admits. "But once they saw that the flock wasn't doing well, they were more open to trying out new ideas. Now I'd say that the QHL project is a very successful one: so far 6 families have become independent of government aid, and we expect the rest of the village to be self -sufficient over the next two to three years." At a recent village meeting, farmers expressed confidence in their future, as they have acquired the skills to pursue a viable living.