Institutional partners

Institutional donors, such as the European Union and the Dutch government, are important partners of Heifer. Together we have implemented various projects, amongst others in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and created lasting impact.

News!

Institutional win in Uganda: Water for Dairy Businesses

Heifer Uganda and Heifer Netherlands developed a strong technical proposal based on Market Systems Development, and we have won! Aqua for All (A4A) will support us in setting up a reverse water supply chain at the level of two cooperatives (Kiboga Livestock Farmers and Dwaniro Dairy in Uganda). The project idea has a strong business case: the current lack of access to water will be turned into a business opportunity for both dairy farmers and cooperatives. Currently, milk produced by dairy farmers is collected in milk cans by transporters on mopeds, who deliver them to the dairy cooperatives, and return them empty to the farmers. What if these milk cans could be returned filled with safe water instead? This is the solution: Water for Dairy Businesses combines the logistics of water delivery with that of milk collection.

Public Private Partnerships with Dutch Government

Together with AgroCares, SNV and the Dutch Embassy and Heifer Kenya we have implemented the project called Providing Analytical Services for Informed Farming in Kenya (PASIFIK, 2014-2017), funded by the Facility for Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Food Security (FDOV) of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. We continued working in Kenya through FDOV II, with a consortium led by Solidaridad improving the livelihoods and resilience of 48,500 households, through improving access and availability of good food and livestock products (2017-2020). In addition, Heifer Netherlands received funds from the Dutch Government (DGIS) to implement a Dairy Development Program; Linking grass root dairy farmers with the dairy food chain in Ghana, Cameroon and Albania (2006-2010).

European commission

Heifer Netherlands has built large expertise regarding implementing EU funds. The Igunga Ecovillage project in Tanzania was realized together with Heifer Tanzania, Aqua for All, ICIPE and the Igunga District Council, and has made strides to increase and diversify incomes, and strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change for 6,000 farmers (2015-2019). Another successful project was the Zimbabwe Midlands where 5,520 farmer families have increased their income and resilience through the method of Passing on the Gift: families received cows, goats and chicken, augmenting their animal livestock, and they would pass on their offspring to other families (2010-2015).

Government of Flanders

The European Commission and the Dutch Government are both key partners for us. Yet, we also look ahead and are aiming to diversify our funding pool. In 2021 the Flemish Government launched a Call for Proposals to strengthen the position of farmers and improve the well-being of their families. We worked intensively on designing a program, that would meet all the requirements, together with our Heifer colleagues in Malawi and the United States, and with a local partner Green Livelihoods. In 2021 In November our proposal has been approved. In the next five years Heifer will support 14.000 smallholder farmers (of which 50% women and 20% youth) working in the groundnut and beef value chain to improve their position in their respective value chain and increase access to the market. As a result their income will increase significantly, creating a pathway to reaching a sustainable living income. Read more about this project.