At Heifer International, we don’t think a cow is “just an animal” — we think a cow can be a way to help families have healthier food and better nutrition! And when it comes to livestock, we think cows are pretty special … so much so that we named the organization after them! A heifer is a young female cow that has never given birth to a calf.

We give families the resources and opportunity necessary to thrive. In some projects, that means helping them become successful dairy farmers. When a family receives a gift of a heifer, they also learn how to feed, shelter and keep their animal healthy, giving the family a source of nutritious milk to drink and sell for years to come!

VIDEO: How Milk Helps Farmers

VIDEO: Amazing Facts About Cows

A COW CAN CHANGETHE WORLD!

A GIFT FROM HEIFER CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR GENERATIONS!

These packets are for parents, grandparents and teachers to use together with the kids in their lives to share and discuss how they can make a difference in the world around them.

William (67), holds John (5) while he drinks a glass of milk in front of his family’s cows. After joining a Heifer project in Kenya, John has fresh milk to drink and his family can sell the leftover milk to buy other nutritious foods.

1. PROVIDE NUTRITIOUS FOODIn poor countries, many people — especially women and girls — have few high nutrient foods like beans, milk, meat or eggs in their diets. With animal proteins, people can get the nutrients they need quicker and with smaller amounts of food. That’s what makes them especially important in areas of high malnutrition. 

WHY HEIFER GIVES ANIMALS

A key staple of Heifer International’s work is giving animals to families living in poverty around the world. But why? Here at Heifer, we believe livestock has a really important role to play in ending global hunger and poverty. Here are five reasons why.

2. GENERATE INCOMELivestock products can be used in many different ways. Chicken eggs can be collected and sold. Milk from cows and goats can be turned into yogurt and cheese. And animals can be used for their meat. With the right training and access to markets, all these products can be sold, providing extra money.

3. HELP WOMEN THRIVEMore than half the world’s farmers are women, but they often don’t have control over the land they farm. In many communities, looking after chickens, goats or other animals is seen as “women’s work.” But in reality, it can often be highly profitable. With their own incomes, women can have a say in decision-making.

4. GIVE RENEWABLE ENERGYAnimals produce waste — lots of it! In many of the communities where we work, people don’t have access to energy. They often cook using wood fires, but chopping down trees can be bad for the environment. Animal waste can be used to make biogas, which can fuel stoves, giving communities a renewable source of energy.

5. HELP AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGEAs water levels continue to rise and shifting rain patterns cause floods and droughts, farmers are losing their crops. In most parts of the world, farmers can only grow two crops per year. Animals can provide a quick source of income to get families through an emergency period, making families more resilient.

WHEN HEIFER GIVES ANIMALS, THEY:

FUN FACTA heifer is a young female cow that hasn’t had a calf yet.

LIFESPAN20 years

WEIGHT 1,400 pounds

GESTATION 9–10 months

GENTLE GIANTSCows

COW CHRONICLECows are a sign of wealth in many countries. Heifer

dairy cows are usually zero–grazed, meaning they are

kept in a fenced area with fodder carried to them. That

way, they don’t wander, risking injury and disease.

Dairy cows are bred to give milk and can give four or

more gallons every day. Heifer project participants

value them highly as suppliers of nourishing protein,

so children grow strong and healthy. Families can sell

extra milk, butter, cheese or yogurt to provide a steady

income. They sell calves after the first heifer (young

female cow) is passed on to another family. Heifer

teaches farmers to plant special grasses and trees with

leaves cows like to eat. These plants hold water in the

soil, improving its quality. Cow manure is an excellent

crop fertilizer, and some cattle pull plows or other

heavy loads.

COWS PROVIDE: Milk, Money, Manure, Meat, Material, Motivation

Sure, cows are big animals, but they’re giants in other

ways, too. They are key animals in the history of

farming,and the first animals that we gave were three

cows named Faith, Hope and Charity.

Some other cow facts you may not know:• You can lead a cow upstairs, but not downstairs.

Cows knees can’t bend properly to walk downstairs.

• Cows have excellent vision: almost a 360-degree

panoramic view

• Cows can get up if they’re pushed over

(sorry, would-be cow tippers!)

CHILD NUTRITION

Imagine if you skipped breakfast. Would it be harder to

concentrate on your classes that morning? And then by the

time lunch rolls around, you open your lunchbox to find just

a tiny mound of rice and beans. Would you be able to play

your instrument well in band or perform your best in practice

for your sport of choice? And then by the time you finally get

home, there’s not much for dinner – just a little more rice and

beans. Would you be able to sleep that night? Or would the

hunger pangs keep you tossing and turning? And then you

have to wake up the next morning and do it all again, but with

a bad night’s sleep.

How can you be the best version of yourself without properly

fueling your body? You can’t. No one can. People of all ages

around the world are malnourished. But when children are

malnourished, there are long-lasting implications. It can lead

to stunting, wasting or even obesity. Child malnutrition is the

single biggest contributor to deaths in kids under the age of

5 worldwide. Addressing and preventing child malnutrition

could save 3 million children every year.

Good nutrition is the first step in creating systematic change

in families and communities as they work toward prosperous

futures. During the dry season or when crops fail, that can

mean families have no food to eat. And when they do, they are

eating the same few foods over and over again. We work with

farming families to help them expand and diversify their crops

and livestock, helping ensure they can feed the whole family

year-round.

A THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGEIn Tanzania, we’re working with local producers, government agencies and school districts to create school milk feeding programs to serve the students.

FACTS ABOUT HUNGER How do you know when you’re hungry? See what happens in the body when a person doesn’t get enough food.

HOW CHICKENS CHANGE LIVESNow that his family has chickens, Abdoulaye’s family uses the money to send him to school.

VIDEOS

ANIMAL-BASED FOODS Animal-based foods are an important source of micronutrients

necessary for children’s growth and development. When families

receive animal gifts from Heifer, that means they can enjoy the

nutritional benefits of the products from the animals. Here are a

few of our favorite ways that products from animals help boost

child nutrition.

MORE THAN MILKAnimals like cows, goats, sheep and water buffalo produce milk

that we can drink. Milk is a great source of protein and calcium,

which are used to help build healthy bones and muscles. Families

can also use the milk to make products like cheese and yogurt.

EGG-CELLENT ADDITIONDid you know the average hen lays more than 200 eggs a year?

Eggs contain high-quality protein that helps build healthy

muscle. They are rich in Vitamin D, zinc, iron, copper and several

nutrients that promote heart health such as betaine and choline.

HONEY, HONEYBees visit around 2 million flowers just to make one pound of

honey! Honey produces antioxidants that help reduce the risk

of some cancers and heart disease. It also contains ingredients

that clean and moisturize, making it perfect to add to soaps and

cleansers.

When you add these products to the diets of children, you see

improved growth, development, health and nutrition. We also

help make sure families have access to food year-round, as

opposed to only during the harvest. We do this by helping farms

expand and diversify their crops, ensuring they have a source

of income all year. This also helps expand a family’s dietary

diversity, which means eating lots of different types of food to

make sure they get all the nutrients they need.

PHOTOS

CHILD NUTRITIONLearn about children around theworld who are benefiting from Heifer’s child nutrition projects.

INFOGRAPHICS

THE BUZZ ON HONEYBees provide honey, which brings families a sweet nutritional boost. Get the buzz on honey now.

WHY BUY A COW WHEN YOU CAN GET YAK MILK INSTEAD? Learn about the nutritional benefits of milk from different animals.

COW TO THE CLASSROOM MAZE

Learn how the milk gets from the cows to the students by finding your way through the maze below!

Heifer gives cows to families. The families take good care of the cows, and the cows make a lot of milk.

Finally, the healthy milk is brought to the schools where students enjoy it at lunch every day. The milk keeps the students healthy. It also helps them do better in school!

The family sells the milk it doesn’t drink to help pay for important things like school and housing.

Trucks collect milk from many farmers and bring the milk to buildings where people make sure it is safe to drink. Then, they package it to drink.

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MILK MONEY

Complete the crossword below with words you have learned.

DownContaining, or having to do with, milk

Process to sterilize liquids, like milk, by heating

Bovine that gives milk

Eating the right kind of food to be healthy

Healthy drink

Organization that helps improve nutrition for hungry children

Heifer works with farmers in Tanzania to package surplus, or _______________, milk to distribute to hungry students

(1) protein (2) dairy (3) pasteurization (4) cow (5) bones (6) focus (7) calcium(8) nutrition (9) milk (10) farmer (11) production (12) Heifer (13) extra

Across Nutrient that helps make muscles strong

Milk helps children have strong teeth and __________

Milk helps hungry students __________ on school work

Nutrient that helps make strong teeth

Who takes care of cows

Heifer has helped farmers drastically increase ______________ of milk

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BLOG POSTSGIVING STORY | A KID (LIKE YOU!) MAKING A DIFFERENCEYoung Artist Raises $5k for Heifer Read about a high school freshman making a difference by painting cards!

A Ripple of Goodness Heifer has a philosophy called Passing on the Gift®. This means each family promises to pass on the first female offspring of their animal to another family, along with training on how to care for it. And then that family passes it on to another family … and then that family passes it on to another family! That means when someone donates an animal to a Heifer family, their gift doesn’t just impact one family — it affects countless! This unique approach creates a ripple effect that transforms lives and communities.

You can create your own ripple of goodness in your community! Every act of kindness makes the world a better place and makes the recipient want to do something nice for someone else! Here are a few ways you can share kindness:

• Send a card to a friend or relative • Share school supplies or sports equipment with others • Help a neighbor with their lawn • Hold the door open for someone • Help with some extra chores around the house

What other ways can you think to share kindness with others?

GENERAL GIVING VIDEOS Grandma’s GiftSee the impact of a gift from Heifer.

Santa Santa finds a surprise waiting for him with his cookies.

GENERAL HEIFER VIDEOS What Animal Are You?Answer a few questions to find out!

The End of Hunger and PovertyStarts Here See what Heifer’s all about.

LEARN MORE

MY GOAL: ___________________________________

Heifer.org/KidsGive

LET’S REACH OUR GOAL!

HOW HEIFER GIFTS HELPFlorence’s Amazing Optimism

Florence Komakech has a knack for bestowing names that reflect a fundamental optimism. Just take it from her cow named Lucky.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand WordsMeet Wheybrow Mwampashi and his wife Roida Mwamlima, a farming couple that has turned life around for their family since joining a Heifer project.

Two of the 15,000 Families Heifer Helped in VietnamA Heifer dairy development project transformed the lives of dairy farmers in the Mekong Delta, where many people lived on less than $1 a day.

HOW HEIFER WORKSOur WorkWe are ending hunger and poverty in a sustainable way. Learn how we work with farmers to increase their incomes and improve their quality of life.

New Incomes and Key Alliances for Milk projectExplore our New Incomes and Key Alliances in Milk project in Nicaragua’s “Milky Way,” which is helping farming families increase production and diversity their product offerings.

FOR PARENTS: TEACHING TO GIVEHow Do You Teach Kids about Giving? | Psychology Today To teach your kids about generosity, you have to model it yourself in their lives. Look past the practical steps and at the health benefits of generosity.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?USE THE RESOURCES BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HEIFER AND THE POWER OF GIVING.

Let’s Talk About It ∞ What role does nutrition play in the daily life of children?

∞ What is dietary diversity and why is it important?

∞ What are some of the benefits when children see an increased dietary diversity?

∞ Define stunting, wasting and obesity. How can child nutrition lead to all three?

∞ What are some of the nutritional benefits of milk? Eggs? Honey?

∞ Think of a time you received a meaningful gift. What made it special?

∞ Why do you think it is important to learn about organizations like Heifer when you want to make a difference in the world?