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Passing on the Gift in Nepal
Everywhere in the world that Heifer works; Passing on the Gift is celebrated in joy. In the Heifer communities of Nepal it marks no less importance than a festival. The Chief Operating Officer of Heifer International, Steve Denne attended one of these festivals of giving where happy faces, joy and the spirit of giving was in abundance.
16 April 2010. A tent propped up in bamboo kept the scorching sun out. The day started cool but the terai soon lived up to its reputation and the heat rose. The participant families of the Livestock for Sustainable Farming and Income Generation Program-Terai project came in droves. At eight in the morning these women must have scurried to finish their chores to make time for this ceremony. The Bhramin and Chhetri women were in their saris, with a glass bead necklace indicating their marital status. The tharu, the locals of this part of the country adorned their ethnic dress complete with silver jewellery; family heirlooms passed from mother-in-law to her daughter-in-law for generations.
Handing a healthy goat to Raj Kumari Chaudhary, Asha Rokka said, “She [the goat] likes green grass better than other feed. I de-wormed her 2 months ago so you will have to do it again in a month. It’s the right time for her to have babies so I hope she gets pregnant soon. Treat her well and she will help your family overcome your problems.” The receiver Raj Kumari nodded in understanding. A total of 51 goats and 1 breeding buck were passed on to 23 recipient families in this third generation pass-on event. This meant that these goats are the great grandchildren of the animals placed by Heifer on March 2005.
Chahari Women Group, the donor group passed on a sack full of rice to the receiver group, the Nava Pragati Women Group. The members of the donor group collected this rice by separating a fist-full from every meal. This rice will be donated to the poor and the needy of the community. Tara Bikka, a needy student of the community was also given a scholarship for a year.
Also attending the event were officials from various line agencies like the District Livestock Service Office, District Agriculture Office, Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries and Women’s Development Office.
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