Heifer International - Heifer China - Their Approach

Their Approach

1. Target at Poor Communities Directly

More than half of the counties that Heifer works in are designated poor areas. Heifer’s project workers help farmers to identify their problems and needs. The organization often works as the catalyst, through funding from the government, banks and enterprises for project development, to help farmers improve sanitation and infrastructure. For instance, constructing drinking water system, schools and roads.

Thirty-three families in Gengcaigou Village of Weichang County were badly affected by the lack of water. With the help of Heifer, they managed to received 21,100 yuan worth of electric equipments and together with local Water Bureau, the village finally had clean water from a new well in July 2009.

2. Promote Grassroots Self-help Organizations

Setting up participatory organizations to build collective sense and democratic awareness through organized activities, Heifer China aims to make the poor realize that they have the ability to escape poverty. In self-help groups, farmers learn to make decisions together and form the ability of self-managing and self-developing, improving production skills and cooperativeness among farmers.

3. Passing on Gifts (POG) and sharing benefits

Over the years, the project animals received by farmers had produced many good quality descents that are well-adapted to environment and have good productive performance. Each family which received an animal is then bound by a contract to pass on the first female offspring to another family in need, and to also agree to pass on the training and skills that they have acquired. Such sharing serves to multiply numbers of good quality livestock and increases the number of beneficiaries.

The first four recipients of Dayi County Meat Rabbit Project, who received 105 rabbits from USA in 1985, had passed their rabbits' offsprings to other needy families. Mr. Ren Xuping, now the China Rabbit King, was one of those recipients who received 48 breeding rabbits from HPI. He now owns a rabbit group company which is a high quality rabbit breeding center, training school and modern rabbit meat processing plant. He had passed on thousands of rabbits and skills to the others in need.