Sindhulimadi, Sept. 21
Heifer International
marked the 80th year of its establishment with special programmes including
gift passing in Sindhulimadi on Saturday.
Agricultural ministers in
Nepal joined senior officials of Heifer International for the 'passing on the
gift' ceremony organised to celebrate eight decades of helping smallholder
farmers end hunger and poverty in their communities.
Heifer has partnered with
the Nepali Government in the Milky Way Programme, which aims to fully transform
and modernize the country’s dairy industry while benefiting smallholder
farmers.
The programme will
significantly improve dairy productivity through the breeding of high-grade
milking cows, said Heifer Nepal.
The project was initiated
with the donation of 100 premier Holstein heifers and eight Holstein bulls by
the Government of Korea, which is also a partner in the programme.
In Kamalamai Municipality
of Sindhuli, the Milky Way partners have established a Model Dairy Village and
provided Holstein heifers to 51 local farming families.
At the ceremony held on
Saturday, many of these farmers 'passed on' firstborn Holstein calves to other
farmers to spread the benefits of the donation. Over time, the Milky Way
Programme is expected to reach and improve the livelihoods of half a million
Nepali smallholder farming households.
“The Milky Way Programme
is a shining example of international cooperation and its potential to bring
about meaningful change,” said Prakash Shrestha, Minister for Agriculture and
Livestock Development of Bagmati Province.
Likewise, Heifer
International CEO Surita Sandosham said, “As we celebrate 80 years of Heifer
International, we are reminded of the power of community and the profound
impact of passing on the gift.”
The Mayor of Kamalamai
Municipality, Upendra Pokharel, said that with the arrival of Korean cows,
monthly milk production here has doubled from 27,000 litres last year to 55,000
litres this year.
Founded on July 14, 1944,
by Dan West, Heifer International began with a shipment of 17 cattle from
Alabama to Puerto Rico to help improve the lives of impoverished communities
there. The shipment in December 2022 and January 2023 of the Korean Holsteins
to Nepal was a continuation of this Heifer legacy.
The passing on the gift
ceremony is intended to foster a spirit of community, solidarity and shared
purpose among the farmers, fulfilling their responsibility as programme
participants to help others also improve their livelihoods, said Nina Joshi,
Vice President of Asia Programmes of Heifer International.
Rukmini Adhikari, a
member of Gaiya Devi Women Entrepreneurs Group who passed a calf as gift, said
that the keeping of advanced breed of cow has economically empowered her family
and community.
Kusun Thapa, a recipient
of a calf, said that she would raise the calf as her daughter.
Dr. Tirtha Raj Regmi,
National Director of Heifer Nepal, said that Heifer supported in production and
marketing of various products through the cooperative groups.
"We would like to
work with the government in running youth self-employment and promoting
technological innovation," he said.
To date, Heifer Nepal has
supported over 400,000 families, organized into 277 agricultural cooperatives —
all working under the Social Entrepreneur Women Alliance, an apex governing
body led by progressive women farmers.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 22 September 2024.
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