Passing on the gift
Passing on the Gift® is fundamental to Heifer’s approach to lifting entire communities out of poverty and increasing our impact. When people share their livestock, knowledge, resources, and skills with others, it creates a growing network of hope and self-reliance that is passed from family to family, transforming entire communities.
Sharing equals multiplying
For every family we work with, at least one more benefits. Often, many more. How do we know that? Because Passing on the Gift is at the center of all our programs.
The idea is simple. Each family that partners with us on a project commits to passing on a cow, goats, chickens, seeds, supplies for an irrigation system or even an energy-efficient oven – whatever makes the most sense for them and their neighbors once they’ve established their business.
It’s truly a network effect. Families share the core components necessary to start a business and any other lessons that they’ve learned along the way. In doing so, they give area families the tools they need to start their own businesses, creating a network of partners, suppliers, and even customers – all invested in seeing each others’ businesses thrive and grow.
As they empower their neighbors, inclusive economies start to grow organically. These ecosystems are led by local people, who understand regional dynamics and are able to develop solutions tailored to their communities.
