Heifer Study Tours - A great idea

Heifer International is a group that I have supported for years, and I always liked getting their return address labels with my donation. You may have heard of them from a 2002 Oprah Winfrey Show.

Come November I often pour through the Heifer gift catalog - and give my nieces and nephews colorful cards, showing a flock of chicks or maybe a goat had been given in their name... It makes for interesting conversations around the Christmas tree.

My family and I suffered so much. When we received our four goats and learned about the passing on the gift, I could not imagine it was I who would help end the suffering of another. – Alves Mangagao, project partner from Mozambique

Who/What is Heifer?
For almost 60 years this amazing organization has worked to end world hunger. Through various programs and efforts they are helping people obtain a sustainable source of food and income.

With a holistic approach
Heifer has a set of global initiatives – areas of emphasis that must be addressed if they’re to meet their mission of ending world hunger and poverty and caring for the earth. Click on any of these to learn more:

Agroecology

Animal Well-Being

Gender Equity

HIV-AIDS

Microenterprise

Urban Agriculture

Young People's Initiative

Heifer Study Tours: Travel with a Purpose
The tours are small - often 12-14 people - specialized expeditions through spectacular geography and unique ecosystems to remote villages and isolated peoples.

A Study Tour takes you beyond your ideas about poverty, and shows you what the human spirit is capable of overcoming. This is such a wonderful way to reconnect with the world around us, to learn about other cultures and to educate ourselves.

I am a huge fan of this program and plan to participate - maybe I can convince one of my nieces or nephews to join me?!

Service Learning - Educational Travel
It is a journey into the daily lives of extraordinary people. As you visit with the farmers and families who are working with Heifer to improve their lives and protect the earth, you learn more than you could have imagined. Here is a sample of the 2009 Calendar:

Albania/Kosovo
Trip Dates: May 20-30, 2009
Begins in Prishtina, Kosovo and ends in Tirana, Albania

USA: South Central (Louisiana)
Trip Dates: March 8-14, 2009
Begins and ends in New Orleans

Honduras
Trip Dates: May 11-18, 2009
Begins in Tegucigalpa and ends in San Pedro Sula

Africa: Cameroon
Trip Dates: May 13-23, 2009
Begins and ends in Douala

"It's not easy to laugh when you're hungry. Instead of giving life to drawings as I've done, Heifer Project gives life by providing food-producing animals to people in need. — Chuck Jones, creator of Bugs Bunny