World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007 - (Page 26)

Cows, Miracles and Peace or many Rwandans, the re-integration of the cow into their lives is nothing shy of a miracle. It’s easy to see some of the impacts a “Miracle Cow” can have on a poor and malnourished population, and especially on families affected by HIV/AIDS. First, cows dramatically improve nutrition by boosting protein intake. Secondly, by producing surplus milk to sell, cows yield income that can cover school fees, medical insurance payments, housing renovations and other necessities that can raise a family’s standard of living. “It has triggered kind of a bush fi re everybody started wanting cows,” says Charles K ay umba, Heifer Rwanda Rwanda Heifer project participants feed their cows elephant grass, country director. “Everyone has begun which grows in abundance there. to see the impact of Heifer in terms of fighting hunger and poverty in their communities.” Along with the animals, Rwanda project participants also value the Heifer model of “passing on the gift,” which has become a powerful part of the reconciliation process. The cow has become a symbol for healing in a country suffering from significant wounds. When cows are passed on, beneficiaries sometimes find themselves accepting gifts from those who tormented their families during the genocide. And along with passing on animals, donors pass on their skills and share stories of challenges, problems and solutions. “People are put together as a group, and that exposes them to rub shoulders with each other and it opens up a dialogue for families,” Kayumba says. “That is why some beneficiaries are calling it a ‘Cow of Peace,’ because when they share benefits and challenges and formulate solutions, it makes them come into contact with families that they may not have wanted to talk to previously.” Rwanda’s painful past will undoubtedly take decades or longer to heal. But now this nation is on track toward harmony, unity and peace. And those who survived are turning a new page and beginning a new day. One cow at time. F Photojournalist Geoff Oliver Bugbee has focused on issues relating to global health, basic human needs and social justice for 13 years. Besides this recent trip to Rwanda for World Ark magazine, Geoff had a busy year traveling to Syria, Egypt, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Peru and Honduras, producing stories that range from hunger and poverty, to fair trade coffee, to curable blindness, to effects of HIV/AIDS on the world’s poorest communities. 26 November/December 2007 | WORLD ARK www.heifer.org http://www.heifer.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007

World Ark - November/December 2007 Contents Letters For the Record The Good Life Asked & Answered Pursuing Happiness (PRODUCT) RED: Consumer Power Fights AIDS in Africa Rwanda Reconciles End Hunger Now Protecting the Poor from Climate Change Mixed Media Heifer Bulletin Heifer Spirit Heifer Calendar Reflection

World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007

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