Tibet Regional Program

April 2005, Heifer China set up a Regional Office together with Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) Bureau of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in Lhasa, and two Tibetan staffs have been recruited in the main time.

Since year 2002,Heifer China Tibetan program has assisted with 1,668 households and about 6,500 beneficiaries in 9 different counties and 20 different townships in Tibet Autonomous Region. Modrogongka county, Dakzi County, Lindrup County, Chenguan district, Dholung County, Chushul County, Nadho County, Lhuntse County, and lingzhi County. The totals of 9,768 live stocks are distributed (including yaks, dzos, cattle, chickens, pigs and sheep) to project families. Over a 4 years period of project the total investment nearly get to 5 million RMB.

Capacity building is an essential for local communities’ development. So, Heifer China’s TAR Program is not only emphasizing on livestock development but also on local capacity building. Therefore, project families have received different trainings on improving animals’ management, animals’ disease prevention, project management, and artificial grass planting skills. Participants have learned to raise their animals in environmentally sound ways, and have focused on improving animals breeds.

Communities’ participation was addressed during the project implementation as well. Communities’ focal person was selected for the project by the villagers and local government at the township level. Villagers were joined project voluntary basis, and they have choice to choose what type of animals they want to breed.

The conception of sustainability plays a key role in development process, thus TAR projects involved all the level of government from the first stage of projects work, and local resources are fully used in an effective way. Passing on the gift increased recipients’ responsibilities and dignities by providing them the chance to help others, recipients became donors and take responsibility for the development of their own communities, and maximized the use of limited funds in order to help as many people as possible, perpetuating and expending projects beyond the initial support.