Dan West was an ordinary American farmer placed in extraordinary circumstances by war and fate. As a Church of the Brethren relief worker in the Spanish Civil War, West was handed the job of rationing portions of milk to hungry children. One day as he fulfilled his duties it occurred to him that "These children don't need a cup, they need a cow".
From this humble inspiration sprang Heifers for Relief, an organization formed in 1944 to provide needy families with both livestock and training. No longer would impoverished parents have to rely upon outside aid to feed their kids... instead, they would be granted the gift of lifetime use of an animal along with instructions for its care. There was only one condition. Recipients agreed to 'pay it forward' by agreeing to donate one of the animal's healthy offspring to another needy family. This way, each gift could continue giving.
West's philosophy reminds me of the ancient Chinese proverb ascribed to Confucius... "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
I could write a much longer article on the history of American agricultural subsidies to farmers in developing nations and the tremendous harm they have inflicted upon local economies. That, however, would not be very Christmasy.
So instead of a treatise, how about a brief explanation of US farm subsidy policy for anyone unfamiliar with how it works.
Each year the United States produces an enormous amount of food, beyond our actual needs. Because these few crops flood the global market, the price of the food drops ~ not just in our country but around the globe.
When prices are too low to be profitable, American farmers are compensated with US government subsidies. These government subsidies actually motivate American farmers to plant mainly the crops that the US government will subsidize even in the case of drought or blight... usually staple crops which include cotton, corn, soy and wheat. (The over-production of corn explains in part why you can find corn or corn syrup listed as an ingredient in almost every processed American food, also in other products ranging from ice cream to biodegradable kitchen trash bags.)
Unfortunately, the US policy of flooding the global market with certain products also has a strong effect upon farmers worldwide, especially those in developing nations whose governments do not subsidize food production. A farmer in Africa, for example, would be equally affected by the overproduction of wheat in the American midwest... but without a government subsidy his family would suffer great financial hardship and even hunger.
The US government responds to this situation by sending large amounts of US federal aid to the farmers in developing nations. In turn, this encourages the African farmer and his peers to become less independent and more reliant upon millions of dollars of foreign aid to survive. It is an ugly scenario. If the United States would simply stop government subsidies of food production in our own country, the global food market would normalize and African farmers would likely be able to feed their kids with the profit from their own agriculture.
It is a tragedy that the "starving children in Africa" actually got that way due to fiscal policies in Washington DC affecting agriculture in the Midwest. What the "you can help a starving child in Africa" commercials should really be saying is... "You can help by calling your local Senator and Congressman and demanding the end of US farm subsidies".
From my view, this is where organizations like Heifer come in, with their simple yet excellent idea of giving impoverished families a source of food instead of short-term relief or cash that will soon be spent. The committed staff at Heifer have worked for over 65 years to help farmers and families achieve a new level of health thanks to their vision that it takes long-range commitment and involvement to create real change.
This is how the Heifer approach works:
First, Heifer will enter a world community and help the people to figure out their own situation. Farmers/families are asked to identify for themselves what they need, what resources they have access to, and what positive shifts they would like to see taking place within their community within a five year period. They must come up with a detailed plan to identify concrete goals.
Then, the community receives a Heifer "living loan". In order to be ready for this loan the farmers must develop the skills and environment necessary to successfully house and care for their animals. Sometimes this entails planting trees and grass for the animal to eat, or constructing a shed to protect the animal from climate stress.
When the environment is ready and the farmer has been trained, the animal at last arrives. With it the farmer or family will receive innumerable lasting benefits: milk, eggs, draft power, wool and ultimately offspring to pass on to another Heifer recipient.
In the last stage of the process, the farmer/family evaluates progress. When they are ready to create new and more far-reaching goals, they may push forward and continue to expand the cycle of success by identifying new areas of need and applying for new living loans. The crucial steps with each cycle include developing a vision, deciding upon needs, implementing a self-created strategy and ultimately reflecting upon progress.
What I love most about the Heifer approach to eliminating global hunger and poverty is that it is sustainable. Heifer is not in the business of giving handouts. Rather, they are giving dignity-health-hope to millions of people around the world, "one family and one animal at a time".
The results of Dan West's dream are impressive. As the Heifer website notes, "Since 1944, the total number of families assisted directly and indirectly [around the world] is 13.6 million—more than 70.5 million men, women and children. In 2009, a total of 1.63 million families were assisted within the four program areas in which Heifer operates" (Africa, Americas, Asia/South Pacific and Central/Eastern Europe).
I love looking through the annual Heifer gift catalogue. You can give symbolic gifts to your friends and family which simultaneously serve to support others half-a-world away. From the gift of honeybees given to farmers in countries ranging from Uganda to El Salvador - who rely upon the income from honeybees to produce products including beeswax and honey... to the much grander scale gift of llamas, cows and goats... every gift you share with your friends will also bring joy and sustainable livelihood to farmers and families in need.
The largest and most powerful gift available through Heifer.org is an Ark... fifteen pairs of animals given around the world in areas with the greatest need!. Each ark includes pairs of cows, sheep, camels, water buffalo and many more.
Christmas is typically a time of giving gifts and sharing love with our fellow man. Our family hopes to give the gift of Heifer every year... and we hope you will consider it as well. Affording lifelong income and dignity to other human beings ~ surely these kind of gifts are a lot more about respect than they are about charity.
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