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In reply to the discussion: Poor? - Get some chickens - Bill Gates answer to poverty [View all]KamaAina
(78,249 posts)61. He could just as easily drop a billion or two on Heifer International
They've been hooking poor people up with livestock for decades.
http://www.heifer.org/about-heifer/index.html
Dan West was a farmer from the American Midwest and member of the Church of the Brethren who went to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War as an aid worker. His mission was to provide relief, but he soon discovered the meager single cup of milk rationed to the weary refugees once a day was not enough.
And then he had a thought: What if they had not a cup, but a cow?...
We empower families to turn hunger and poverty into hope and prosperity but our approach is more than just giving them a handout. Heifer links communities and helps bring sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty. Our animals provide partners with both food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market.
When many families gain this new sustainable income, it brings new opportunities for building schools, creating agricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses.
And then he had a thought: What if they had not a cup, but a cow?...
We empower families to turn hunger and poverty into hope and prosperity but our approach is more than just giving them a handout. Heifer links communities and helps bring sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty. Our animals provide partners with both food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market.
When many families gain this new sustainable income, it brings new opportunities for building schools, creating agricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses.
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Poor people in rural sub-Saharan Africa aren't living in apartments.
The Velveteen Ocelot
Jun 2016
#4
Probably not most of those who live in the suburbs and post their opinions on the internet
Major Nikon
Jun 2016
#8
Why is it so important to hate people who are wealthy, esp. the ones who are helping?
nolabear
Jun 2016
#12
I hear ya. I was mostly town and city dwelling poor. Chickens weren't the answer.
nolabear
Jun 2016
#39
I can only imagine the convenience afforded by believing only poor are aware of the poor
LanternWaste
Jun 2016
#35
Bill just happens to be right, but don't let that stand in the way of a good rant
Major Nikon
Jun 2016
#7
Smart, my impression is that chickens were a foundation for poor rural living, eggs, chickens, and
braddy
Jun 2016
#9
I believe they do. The better run global livestock programs work well these days.
nolabear
Jun 2016
#14
And this would be in a rural, basically subsistence-level environment.
The Velveteen Ocelot
Jun 2016
#24
We still produce small amounts of free range eggs. The sale of eggs pays for the food, plus a small
JCMach1
Jun 2016
#63
Exactly... and we in the West need to see the small-scale we are talking about here...
JCMach1
Jun 2016
#73
Owning a chicken or other animal can make a difference for those living in the very poorest
Glimmer of Hope
Jun 2016
#18
Where I live you have to get permission from surrounding neighbors
The Velveteen Ocelot
Jun 2016
#26
My neighbors had chickens for a year and I only just heard them a few weeks ago
Beaverhausen
Jun 2016
#32
I know they can be loud but honestly, my neighbors have I think 3 and I only just heard them
Beaverhausen
Jun 2016
#45
If anyone wants to know what they can do to help people living in poverty, ASK THEM!
hunter
Jun 2016
#41
He is not the bad guy. He has gave millions to good causes. Bitch about the Koch brothers. nt
Logical
Jun 2016
#65
And just what the hell are people too poor to feed themselves going to feed those chickens?
Warpy
Jun 2016
#53