Heifer International Kenya's mission is in partnership with others to
promote community development, food security and environmental
regeneration through sharing, caring and passing on the gift. The mission is achieved by:
- Educating and training in sustainable community development and animal production
- Providing livestock and related services
- Raising public awareness and commitment to rural development and environmental regeneration
The aim is to assist people in becoming self-sufficient and masters
of their own destiny. The approach taken to achieve the mission is to
assist community groups with the necessary training and animals.
Training provided includes: Heifer Project cornerstone training;
leadership and committee skills training; basic bookkeeping and
financial training; animal husbandry training including crop production
and vegetable garden production. During the Heifer Project cornerstone training, community groups are assisted in evaluating and assessing
their current situation, planning their future and developing
strategies by which they can bring about the required transformation
from the present to the future.
Heifer International Kenya is affiliated to Heifer Project International who have a phenomenal record of success in development over the past 57
years, during which time they have successfully worked in many poverty
stricken nations of Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
Heifer Project International offers Heifer-South Africa institutional
support and vast international development experience. However
Heifer-South Africa has been planned and developed by aptly able Kenyans.
Heifer Project International
HPI was founded in October 1944 by Dan West of USA. Its mission is to work in partnership with others to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth through sharing of livestock and knowledge. HPI has offices in over 50 countries in all continents including USA.
Heifer Project International opened its program in Kenya in 1982. The focus of the program then was regions with high child mortality due to malnutrition and other diseases and high level of poverty. Its main aim was to fight hunger, poverty and environmental degradation through use of livestock as a main tool. Those regions were Coast, Nyanza and Western provinces. It has since expanded its coverage to other provinces in the country.
The program approaches this war through farmer training on integrated animal management and environmental improvement and providing livestock to the families as living loans. The loans are repaid through passing on of the female offspring of the original livestock to other families.
Families requesting for assistance must be organized into self help groups and registered with Ministry of Culture and Social Services. The groups will write to HPI and must receive support from the local Ministry of Livestock extension staff.
The group request is screened by HPI staff together with the group before it is approved for funding. When the group is approved, all the members must go through training on animal management, environmental protection, group management and HPI cornerstones for sustainable development. The group members will agree on concept of passing on the gift, which is a form of loan repayment. The members will establish sufficient fodder and have animal housing before HPI agrees to purchase and place animals with the families. The livestock are individually owned by families who must sign agreement with group on good management of the livestock. If the livestock are not managed properly, the group has the right to repossess the livestock and place it with another family.
After placement of livestock, HPI staff will visit the families on regular basis to check on the management of the livestock, environmental improvement and that the gift benefits all the members of the family including children and women.
HPI works closely with Kenya government Ministries of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Culture and Social services, Health and Provincial administration.
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