At $300,000, we’ve funded the start of the hard work!

That’s right, thanks to your generosity, we have raised over $300,000 for Heifer International! At this stage, participants in the program will have a good foundation and goals for how to plan their future. There are Heifer gifts on the horizon, like goats and seedlings, but first they need to make sure everything is ready to go.

This stage is called Preparing for Asset Transfer, and it’s where everyone gets to put their new knowledge to work. Goat pens need to be built, seeds need to be planted, and animal feed has to be purchased.

Farida Begum received training in vegetable gardening, nutrition, and gender and justice, and was provided vegetable seeds, two pounds of sweet jumbo fodder seeds, and one Jackfruit sapling.

Before the project began, Farida owned one doe and two kids. After beginning her training in improved animal management, she built a shelter for her goats and improved her cowshed. The training also taught her about the frequency of vaccination, de-worming and improved feeding practices for goat and cattle.

Farida Begum tends her goats. Photo by Heifer International.

Because she was armed with the knowledge and basic accessories she would need (like the shelter for her goats), she was ready to receive goats with no surprises. And during this preparation time, she was able to improve the facilities she already had with a mind for the future.

That’s one of our favorite things about Heifer International–their training. Because of Heifer’s extensive education for program participants, they are better armed for the future. Most of the time, that future includes goats, heifers, seedlings, or ducks. But if a natural disaster strikes and a crop is wiped out, they still have their education. That’s not something that can be taken away.

Now that we’ve hit $300,000 to help thousands of families receive not just a solid education, but also the materials and training they need to hit the ground running once their gifts arrive, we’re $200,000 away from those gifts getting here. That’s right–once we hit $500,000, we’ll have raised enough money to literally get goats, chicks, and seeds into the hands of the people who need them…and know exactly what to do when they arrive.

We’ll revisit Renuka Begum when that happens to see what gift she received from Heifer, and how it snowballed into an amazing investment for her and her family.