These allow you to give donkeys, camels, teachers, plantations, mango trees, medication (and many many more) to villages / individuals throughout the world's poorest communities.
Last Christmas these not only made the world that little bit better but also saved me so much anguish from not having to search the shops for the right present for my uncles, aunts, cousins, etc but also and eased my privileged conscience too! (And I have to admit to getting a little bit of a kick out of sending a goat to my stubborn and grumpy aunt !)
I think these are such an excellent idea. Who really needs another pair of socks or scarf or belt that inevitably is not quite the right colour or size? And if you send these this year, then next year you may well have inspired a friend to send an alternative gift too!
So, if you like these please spread the word to your friends and families.
If you know of any more websites that offer similar services please post them here too.
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I've been having a goat given to a third-world family in my name by my great-aunt for Christmas every year since I was 8. I've always thought it was awesome. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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(Wow, their website has some great stuff on sustainable agriculture, supporting local farmers, and all kinds of stuff!)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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The Heifer Project looks fabulous. I'll definately look into that website some more.
With Oxfam and GreatGifts I particularlly like the really little things you can give, ie a Blanket, a school lunch. It's not much but it makes the point that every little helps.
KQ ... How many goats have you been given now? I haven't read the details of how Heifer works but with Oxfam you not only give a goat but the first female kid born to the original goat has to be given away to another family in the village. So 8 years of goats would actually be about 8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1 (assuming one female goat born per year for each goat given) so ..... MANY!
Posts: 571 | Registered: May 2001
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I haven't got one two years out of the intervening years. But that's still... (22-8-2=12) 12 goats initially. So 12+11+10+9+8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1= at least 78 goats. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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When you give an animal, you're not just paying for the animal but also for training, setup, etc. Heifer goes into a community and works with the people there to determine what type of agricultural project would work best. They give several female animals and at least one male in each community. Then they provide training, vetrinary care, etc for the first few years. Families that receive an animal agree to give the first (or it might be second, I don't remember for sure) female offspring to a neighbor.
It's an awesome project.
And Briggs (the water buffalo I rode) and his buddy Straton are very nice animals.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Aw, it's not my idea. No ownership. I think it is a good one, though. I was just trying to be funny.
I think it is a very affirming coincidence, actually. The part I was hung up on was, should we do a Hatrack registry there, or see if they take paypal or whatever? I sent them an email, but haven't heard back yet.
I mean, how do we want to do it?
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Maybe you're being moved by the Hatrack spirit? Maybe I have been too? I wonder what the Hatrack spirit looks like? A giant coat stand perhaps? But rather than coats, books and quotes and philosophical statements strewn across it?
We have lots of time to work out how to do payment before Christmas. Please let us know how Heifer respond. In the meantime I'll contact oxfam and see how they would suggest taking group donations. How was the Hatrack donation done for the Hurricain Katrina relief?
KQ that is a phenomenal number of goats!
Posts: 571 | Registered: May 2001
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I know that I have some ambivalent feelings toward donating money to Heifer International because of being a vegetarian.
Beekeeping, dairy cows, laying chickens, trees, and wool producing sheep don't bother me, but the notion that my money would be going to support a meat-based diet does, both from a moral standpoint and because the farther people (or any animal) eat up the food chain, the more energy is consumed. Diets high in meat are already unsustainable in many third world countries, and this whole idea of bringing in more grazing animals to areas with limited native vegetation and severe erosion seems counterproductive in the long-term. While I love the idea of having "generations" of a gift that can be passed on by the origianl recipients, I don't want to be party to negatively changing native diets, customs, and fragile ecologies.
Something to think about when/if you get around to donating. (Buy trees! Or bees!)
Posts: 471 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Samarkand, they don't give cows and goats for meat. They give them to be milk-producing animals for families, which supplies added protein in diets, and helps reduce childhood starvation.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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(And when they build up enough of a herd, they usually also are able to bring in some extra income selling dairy or wool products.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I've been a Heifer Foundation member for a few years now, ever since I realized that my family -- mainly being made up of middle-class adults -- no longer needs any "stuff." So I donate a cow or two in their name each year.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Wait! I have a Christmas article coming up for the magazine (Dear Santa, here's my top ten list, or something like that), but it's supposed to be on gadgets. I need to find a way to work something from this into the article. Awareness, people, awareness! If you have suggestions . . .
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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It's worth noting that when you donate to these funds, you are NOT actually paying for a specific type of animal. So if you're a vegetarian and are completely opposed to having your money be used to pay for meat rabbits, donating a "cow" will not ensure that your money won't be used in that way. I've heard from other people that if you include a note with your donation explaining your opposition to a specific initiative, though, that the foundation is willing to make the effort -- although they do not guarantee it -- to spend your money elsewhere.
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Quid, beehives and looms could be considered "gadgets."
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I found one! At the World Vision site, you can buy computers for a school or solar panels for a clinic or a water dam. I can make that work. And there might be other things, too . . . Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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What about donations to the Hurrican Stan relief and reconstruction efforts in Central America? As wonderful as the programs like Heifer International are (and they really are - my work has cofunded projects with them), donating to the relief efforts would be a very timely gift.
Stan didn't get much media attention in the US, but it has absolutely devastated parts of Central America. Numerous villages in Guatemala have been completely washed away by mudslides and the government is turning them into mass graves. In El Salvador, Stan was followed by two volcanic eruptions that further damaged the country.
Considering that Honduras has still not fully recovered from Mitch in 1998, I expect the reconstruction efforts in Guatemala and El Salvador to take just as long.
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Thanks TD - that's what I was thinking, that the option to "buy" something through Heifer International is really just a way to allow people to connect to an an idea - like of a flock of geese or whatnot - but the money goes where it's needed. Which totally makes sense from a charitable standpoint, but can make it a bit tricky if there's a potential moral conflict.
Looms? Beehives? This sounds very cool. Also like the idea of the Hurrican Stan relief. What about Doctors Without Borders? Does anyone know of anything controversial regarding them?
Posts: 471 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I'm confused about the pricing on these different gifts from Heifer - how does one goat cost $120? I realize that they are *really* just donations of money towards the organization, but ... goats don't cost $120 in third-world countries. They don't cost that much in the States! According to a friend from India, goats don't cost more than $15 or $10 American dollars. At greatgifts.org they're charging 13 pounds for a goat. That seems much more reasonable.
What's the extra money for with Heifer International?
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Training the recipiants to care for the animal, building shelters, vet care, etc. The animals aren't just dropped off on people's doorsteps, there is a lot of work that goes into setting up each project so that the families will succeed in their new livestock enterprise.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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