A Lesson in Environmentalism
With the scarcity of land today it is a waste to let it be overused, unprotected and under-nourished. Avoiding these problems and making the most of our natural resources can lead to an abundance of produce and help feed the world in a sustainable way.
Story Highlights
- Study Tours
- A Little Knowledge
- Young People's Initiative
Study Tours
Trekking to remote villages and beholding fascinating geography, Heifer make expeditions to visit people who are most in need of an agricultural education. A Heifer Study Tour explores the extraordinary life and daily activities of people around the world. Volunteers can join in and visit the farmers, and their families while also helping them to improve their land and their lives.
There are many exciting tours coming up - with the next one heading out to Uganda between September 8 and 19, 2008. This tour will be led by Sarah Tourville, Co-ordinator of Community Education Programs. Volunteers will see Heifer International projects in south and east Uganda, witness a Passing of the Gift ceremony, take in the Bujagali Falls, see the source of the River Nile at Jinja and experience local dancing, and entertainment.
Alternatively you could be part of another tour. Here are some top suggestions:
- Mozambique (October 19 to 31, 2008)
- The Americas, Guatemala (November 11 to 20, 2008)
- Asia / South Pacific Philippines (February 16 to 28, 2009)
- Nepal (March 13 to 23, 2009)
- China (May 18 to 30, 2009)
- Albania (May 20 to 30, 2009)
- The Baltics, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia (June 11 to 22, 2009)
For more information on each trip, shoot an e-mail to studytours@heifer.org or visit heifer.org.
A Little Knowledge
Heifer is a non profit, humanitarian company which focuses its efforts on global hunger and environmental issues. It was set up in 1944 and has helped 9.2 million families. One of the ways it helps is by teaching families simple farming techniques, like these:
- Planting trees and using natural fertilizer to renew the soil, and keep it healthy.
- Bringing food to livestock and keeping them in an enclosed, shaded area. This helps to prevent the animals from catching disease or damaging their environment.
- Erosion resistant planting techniques.
- Using specialist techniques for cooking and heating in homes.
- There is also the Passing of the Gift ceremony. Every family that receives an animal as a gift makes a promise to pass on the gift of one or more of the animal's offspring, to another family in need.
- Heifer also helps to educate people about HIVand AIDs, gender equality, social justice, animal management and animal welfare. It's already making a huge difference!
Young People's Initiative
Young people are essential to the development of Heifer's work, because without and education for them - social, environmental and economic sustainability could easily become uprooted.
Youth-focused programs are part of all Heifer projects because the needs of young people needs differ from those of adults and this must be recognised. Poverty and hunger are dealt with in different ways and children, teenagers and adults all need to know how they can combat hardship, and build a sustainable society. Heifer addresses the hardship faced by young people and offers them insight.
The organisation is working to build strong alliances between young people and adults through urban - agriculture projects and by reconnecting city dwellers with their food sources. An undeniable spirit has been recognised in the people that Heifer has educated and this will hopefully live on in the farming techniques, shared by communities for generations to come.
- Jen Page
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