Support sustainable development: Heifer International

Heifer International is one of my favorite organizations. Not only is it based in my hometown (Little Rock, Arkansas), but Heifer makes wonderful contributions to sustainable development. Heifer donates a wide variety of animals (and trees) to families around the world. Recipients use the animals to improve their standard of living. For example, water buffalo can help a family in Nepal plow their land to grow more food. Goats can provide meat and milk for a Romanian family, improving their diet. A family in Ecuador can eat and sell eggs and meat from Heifer ducks, and generate money for school fees. One requirement is that recipients 'pass the gift" by donating the the offspring of gift animals to others in need, making them equal partners with Heifer in the fight to end world hunger.

"So what can I do?"

* Send llamas to your lover, bees to your boss, geese to your grandma, or oxen to your uncle by donating online at www.heifer.org. You can even use the catalog to find the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for friend or colleague. Heifer animals are the perfect gift for the person who "has everything." 'Tis the season for giving!

* Visit Honduras, Tibet, South Africa and other places on a Heifer Study Tour. In the US, you can tour the Heifer Learning Centers. Learn how the animals benefit people and get more information on ways to end world hunger.

* Teachers, consider using Heifer's Read to Feed (www.readtofeed.org) service-learning materials in your lesson plans. Your students will discover more about the world and its people, see that they can make a real and positive difference in someone's life, and learn about poverty and environmental damage, all while improving their reading skills.

Visit www.heifer.org. You're sure to love the work they do.