In the News

As a “C-suite” executive at Heifer International, Haddigan has a unique title — chief of mission effectiveness. She’s responsible for managing, evaluating and quantifying the effectiveness of Heifer’s programs around the world.

Partners in the project include Heifer International, Yoba For Life, and Joma Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. The program is called “Fermented Food for Life” and it’s received a $1.45 million grant from the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund, a joint initiative of Global Affairs Canada and the International Development Research Centre.

“There reaction has been phenomenal. They’ve been together collecting water, collecting food and bringing all of these resources to communities,” said Oscar Castaneda, vice president of the Americas Program.

A local school just finished counting the results of its “Make That Change” fundraiser and surpassed a goal of 500 dollars.
Students at Romine Elementary raised 691 dollars to help Heifer International buy a cow for a family in need.

On Saturday, April 2, the zoo will open its Arkansas Heritage Farm exhibit. The opening will feature a Heifer International “Pass on the Gift” ceremony, an event integral to the organization’s field work, in which Heifer will officially hand off the livestock it donated to the exhibit that focuses on sustainable farming and how farm animals can provide life-changing benefits to farming families.

Near the end of a two-minute video on Heifer International’s website, there is a striking series of words and images that encapsulate the philosophy and approach of the 70-year old nonprofit devoted to ending hunger and poverty. In between cards bearing the phrases “When I take your hand,” “It’s not for a handout,” “It’s so we can walk together,” viewers see the face of a laughing and smiling woman standing in an African village, and a more subdued, yet clearly pleased Ecuadorian fisherman.

But when a physical revealed he had a heart murmur, his plans changed. He ended up going to college, at nearby Muskingum College (now Muskingum University), where he met his wife, Helen, and where he learned about another opportunity to serve.

That program was the Seagoing Cowboys — a group of men and boys who came together after the war, to help ship horses, cattle and other livestock to war-torn nations — so that those countries could rebuild its herds.

The Heifer Farm model for transforming lives doesn’t involve vast, undulating seas of corn, or “factories” where formerly free-range animals live in a confined environment in order to more quickly become meat. Instead, Heifer’s is a gentle, small-scale approach – one that’s been used to improve living standards in scores of countries for 70 years.

The project has been implemented by Gender and Development for Cambodia (GADC) and Heifer International Cambodia for the past three years. GADC executive director Ros Sopheap said it had proven effective in changing men’s attitudes to their family’s socio-economic situation.

“Through the activities, we help men realize the importance of their roles in working hand in hand with their wives to build a better livelihood, and that creates changes in their attitude toward the division of labor,” she said.

Heifer.org empowers families to turn hunger and poverty into hope and prosperity – but their approach is more than just giving them a handout. Heifer links communities and helps bring sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty. Their animals provide partners with both food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market.