I am a big fan of this concept. I mean, I appreciate the importance of emergency relief in disaster areas. However, I don't think continuously giving people money/food is good use of time and money. Rather, we should educate and empower people so they can make a living (i.e. make enough money to live on) for the rest of their lives.“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”
One organization that is very good as this is Heifer International. Heifer reaches out to depressed areas of the world and teaches people to farm in a sustainable way. They may give a family a few animals to get started and the know-how to care for the animals and create a business. The best part is that recipients of the animals commit to "passing on the gift" to another family in the community. For example, if there is a new baby goat, this is passed on to the neighbors. This way, it is really a gift that keeps giving.
Heifer has a great gift catalog where you can select to give (among other critters) a cow or a llama or a flock of geese in honor of a loved one. We like to do this around Christmas time and for birthdays. You can also fund a project, which is what we did this month.
It's a really neat organization. Check it out!
Ending Hunger, Caring for the Earth
-Heifer International
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2 comments:
The Heifer Village in Little Rock, Arkansas, was a meaningful stop on my driving trip this summer. It's informative, inspiring, and enjoyable! Anybody who happens through that part of the country might want to visit. I will be doing "Read to Feed" with my fourth grade class this year. In years past, the students have read "Beatrice's Goat," a good book about a girl who benefits from Heifer International's programs. I picked up a couple of additional copies and another title or two in the Heifer Village gift shop when I was there.
I definitely hope to visit the Heifer Village one day. I'm so glad you got to have that experience! Teaching kids about these topics at an early age is our only hope!
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