One non-government organization, Heifer International, while not a true MFI, has developed an interesting approach to resolving the problems that can arise when raising livestock. Heifer International works with poor villages around the world, giving away almost every type of livestock imaginable, from chickens to llamas to yaks, and does not require repayment. Before donating the livestock, however, Heifer International trains the villagers who receive the animals on how to properly care for their livestock. The organization also establishes veterinary services in the villages and monitors progress. Heifer’s overarching goal is to create sustainable development in the villages it works in, and ensures this by creating programs whereby the offspring of the donated animals are given to struggling members of the village – called a ‘living loan.’ In this way, Heifer ensures that once a family has benefited from the livestock program, newborn animals will be given to others so that they, too, can benefit from the program. Eventually, the economic benefits and labor-saving techniques that the livestock bring will improve the quality of life for people in the village, and create a self-sustaining economy there.

Goats much like this one were given to families in the Dan Ba region by Heifer International.

One particularly successful Heifer program is located in China, in the town of Dan Ba. Many residents of that area of the Sichuan Province herd goats for a living, and Heifer International has given people in the region goats since 2002. One man, Luo Xiao Yun, has benefited tremendously from Heifer’s program. He is disabled, and goat herding has become the only way he can support himself and his family. Before Heifer came to Dan Ba, he had a small herd and sold goats for about $10 each. Heifer gave him 12 new goats, of a 'superior breed' to the local variety. Now, after more careful breeding, Mr. Yun has 230 goats and sells around 80 each year, for $30 to $36 per goat. The Yuns' house is a testament to their new (relative) wealth: before Heifer International cam in, it was made of mud and bricks; now it has several rooms and two floors, as well as some electronics such as a television and refrigerator. To date, Mr. Yun has given away 12 goats, in keeping with Heifer International’s ‘living loan’ policy.

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Heifer International

WorldArk: May/June 2005: “Life is Much Better” by Lauren Wilcox

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