Several of you also asked about Heifer Project so.... you get to hear a bit about them too.Heifer International has projects all over the world including the U.S. (Sad to say, but we still have hungry people in our country.) Rather than just giving food to the hungry, Heifer's aim is to provide families with an "agricultural" means to help them secure food as well as provide an income source. Therefore a family might receive a goat or a hive of bees or even a heifer and given instruction on sustainable agricultural practices - practices designed to protect our environment. The family who receives the animal will in turn "gift" another family with one of the offspring and so on, thus helping the entire community.
When John & I visited the "ranch" in Arkansas, we saw several examples of how this works. I particularly liked the goat demonstration. Rather than letting the goat graze wherever as is the normal practice in much of the world, owners are taught to build confinement areas/buildings on slopes with slatted floors to allow the manure to be easily collected. The manure is used to enrich the land so food can be raised for the goats and for the owners. The confinement areas protect the goats from predators and the children, freed from the responsibility of watching the goats all day, can now go to school. The goat itself is also a food source, not only for meat, but for milk to drink or make cheese which the family can eat or sell. (And, of course, goatskin gloves are always popular.)
There are 3 demonstration farms in the US (Ark., Mass., Calif.) if you'd like to visit. Although "generic" contributions are always welcome, they also have a neat way to make a "contribution" gift. (This is what my family has been doing for several years for Christmas gifts instead of buying more things for each other that none of us need.) For example you can sponsor a flock of chicks for $20 or three rabbits for $60 (just in time for Easter) or a water buffalo for $250 or even a heifer for $500 (for some reason a camel is NOT listed - maybe that's why he's at the ranch). The next time you're looking for that perfect gift for the person who has everything, consider sponsoring an animal in their name. www.heifer.org
I'm going to take the next few days "off" from blog posting. If I can think of some new topics next week, I'll post to www.musingsfromthecountry.blogspot.com
So until our next trip, stay well....
