WiLD is a Heifer International program that trains women around the world in livestock care as well as helping them work together to overcome social and cultural barriers and, ultimately, assist them in moving toward self-reliance.

Award Category 1: Grassroots Achievements

Africa
Callista Kadzere of Zimbabwe was selected as a winner. Callista stood out from all the candidates of her region because of her community leadership and her dedication to the empowerment of her fellow women. Her creativity and assertiveness enabled her to negotiate with authorities in a rather strict culture for her fellow women to have access to land for gardening. She organized and led women’s groups for economic self-reliance. Her dedication to building the self-confidence of women and to win men’s support in a non-confrontational way makes her outstanding. She is a role model for her community, especially for women.

Asia/South Pacific
Sonam Yurden of China was selected as a winner. Sonam has shown extraordinary endurance in bringing herself and her family above a poverty line. Beginning with very small input, she used her creativity to diversify her family’s livelihood. Her agricultural and weaving skills enabled her not only to establish her family economically, but also helped others to escape from poverty. Sonam is a strong and dedicated community organizer. She enabled many families to manage and organize a weaving project while simultaneously promoting women’s economic empowerment. Her leadership makes her a great achiever.

Central Eastern Europe
Anush Ghazaryan of Armenia was selected as a winner. Anush has a moving story as a true agent of holistic community development. She encouraged and mobilized older and younger generations equally for community development. Her work as a trainer and counselor for youth has opened up opportunities for many to actively participate in community development and caring for their own environment. Her leadership in initiating and implementing organic farming as an approach to sustainable food systems is remarkable. Her commitment to support her fellow women in balancing domestic and farm work, her dedication to the Cornerstones, especially self-reliance and sustainability made her stand out.

Award Category 2: Meritorious Award
Tran Thi Kim Oanh of Vietnam was selected as a winner of the Meritorious Award. She is an incredible community development agent, who is dedicated to the success of others. She is an excellent organizer, trainer and encourager. She is committed to Heifer’s work to the extent of sacrificing her weekends to help communities and the self-help groups to establish and to build their capacities through training. Even though she works for the government, her voluntary work with Heifer is out of dedication to community empowerment. As a woman, as a mother, and as a professional, she learned how to balance worklife and family. She has become an example for many women in her communities.

Support the work of Heifer International’s WiLD programs by contributing to the following Interests:

WiLD Interest

Rosalee Sinn WiLD Interest

Mildred P. Lynan WiLD Interest

Heather DePaolo-Johnny Gender Equity Interest

Albania: Greenway Women’s Issues Interest

Illinois – Fair Food Project: Building Capacities for Community-Based Food Systems

Despite Illinois’ role as a major agricultural producer of commodity crops, half a million people in northern Illinois suffer food insecurity every year. In Chicago, one of the nation’s largest and most prosperous cities, an average of 88,000 residents per week seek emergency food assistance.

The Fair Food project will involve partnerships with seven community-based organizations that are committed to urban garden projects that will serve low-income youth and adults. With resources of training, seeds, livestock and small-scale infrastructure, this project will result in seven communities transforming the way 1,290 families access healthy food, generate income and reinvent regional food systems.

Here is an Interest that supports Heifer International’s urban agricultural projects:

Rector & Neill Families Urban Agri Interest

Heifer Honduras

A new project will strengthen rural micro-enterprise in Honduras. Heifer’s intervention in favor of small farmers sparked the beginning of rural microenterprises that market surplus production and added value products. Led by small farmers, these rural enterprises lack the skills and resources to become successful, innovative businesses that support families and communities.

This project will strengthen nine rural microenterprises born from Heifer projects. These cooperatives will improve the nutrition and income of 883 families by generating jobs and marketing added-value products from honey, dairy, organic manure, seeds, pork, fish and weaving.

The following Interests provide long-term support for Heifer International projects that provide small farmers the training and tools to lift themselves out of poverty:

Honduras Country Interest
Honduras: Sarita Irias Interest
Honduras: Tim & Gloria Wheeler Interest
Honduras: Carrie & Robert G. Whitfield Memorial Interest
Honduras: Sievert & Peterson Interest

Heifer Ecuador

Unsustainable farming practices in the provinces of Los Rios and Guayas in the southern coast of Ecuador have severely affected local farmers’ ability to make a living off agriculture. Monocropping, indiscriminate water use and intense chemicals deteriorate the local environment at a rapid pace. Rural and urban families struggle to afford local healthy and nutritious food.

A new project working with small farms and promoting local markets will involve 290 families who will learn about farm diversification and water management to improve nutrition; generate surplus produce to increase household income; and build organizational capacity through leadership training for 120 community leaders, who will then share their knowledge with 1,200 people.

These Interests provide sustainable support for new projects that will improve the nutrition and earning ability of small farmers in Ecuador:

Ecuador: Eduardo & Nancy Sotomayor Interest
South America Country Interest