What to give the person who has everything

by Don Wheeler

What about a gift in their honor to someone who has nothing?

A few years ago my beloved grandmother died and left us a bit of money. My wife Paddy and I decided that some of it should be used for the benefit of others. We made several contributions to local causes and as Christmas approached I discovered Heifer, International.

For anyone unfamiliar with the organization, it is dedicated to providing an ongoing means of support for people living a subsistence existence - through livestock. You can buy someone chickens, goats, cows, bee colonies or even a complete "ark" of animals. So families can have a reliable source of eggs, milk products, honey, etc.

What's really cool about the program is that the recipient has a duty to pass on a bit of his/her good fortune. Here's an example:


A Living Chain of Giving

“Passing on the gift” is fundamental to Heifer’s entire approach.

A community in Nepal is being transformed by Heifer's training and Cornerstones.

Watch the video

As people share the offspring of their animals – along with their knowledge, resources, and skills – an expanding network of hope, dignity and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe. These women are participating in a Passing on the Gift ceremony in Nepal, a ceremony that demonstrates the community growth through Heifer's work.“Passing on the Gift” creates a living cycle of sustainability that develops community and enhances self-esteem by allowing project partners to become donors.

In Rwanda, Christine Makahumure showed the true meaning of passing on the gift.

In 1994 genocidal war that raked Rwanda destroyed everything Christine had. She saw her son and husband shot to death when they were caught in a crossfire. When the fighting ended, Christine was barely able to feed her daughter and parents.

But then she received a Heifer cow. The milk supplemented the family’s meager diet, and she was able to buy a small home with income from selling milk.Christine gave her first calf to a neighbor – but she didn’t stop there. She provided money so her neighbors could build and apply for their own Heifer cow. And she adopted four war orphans and became a living example of passing on the gift.

Read another Passing on the Gift story.

Video: Passing on the Gift

Video: Age-Old Traditions Broken With Help

We decided in addition to our standard gifts to give Heifer gifts for all those people closest to us. When possible, we tried to match the animal with the giver. For example, my mother and her husband have done a lot of development work in Latin America and llamas were omnipresent in their lives. So sending a llama on their behalf to a family seemed an obvious choice.

I wasn't sure how our family and friends would react, but it turned out that people were exceptionally pleased to have had these contributions made on their behalf. That made it even better.

Happy holidays.

Here's the catelogue: http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/

(more info at http://heifer.org/ )