January 03, 2004
Buying a Goat
Since I mentioned it on our Christmas card this year, several people have asked about the goat I said we bought. We did buy a goat, but it will go to people we've never met. This is done through Heifer International, a charitable organization for sustainable development. The goat we paid for is given to a family in a developing country; if it bears any offspring, that family's obligation is to give the kid to another family in need, and so on. So there's milk all round. You can also buy a cow, a sheep, a pair of chickens, rabbits, and even a hive of bees, but we like the sassiness of goats. See Numenius' sketch of one we met last March up in the Capay Valley.
Other organizations I think are worth supporting: Doctors Without Borders, an excellent French organization specializing in critical medical relief; Oxfam; Planned Parenthood; and the Point Reyes Bird Observatory.
Posted by Pica at January 3, 2004 09:04 PM | TrackBackGreat idea. We have similar projects through ABM and it is amazing to think that our dollar can provide so much more for people in developing countries. The cathedral community is just about to take part in raising money for a project to supply running water to a village in the Phillipines - a luxury to them are things we simply take for granted!
Posted by: Jenny at January 3, 2004 10:58 PMI love the sketch and that plaintive-looking goat, who looks like it wants to go home with you.
Posted by: beth at January 5, 2004 05:03 PMtha loves goats!
Posted by: Ollie at February 10, 2004 02:27 AM