Program helps women escape poverty
Providing livestock to impoverished mothers empowers them to care for their families

A unique program helps impoverished women around the world break the cycle of poverty and discrimination by learning skills and changing minds.

Experts say that women in the developing world are often responsible for feeding their families and producing most of the food through labor. Yet many of these same women are not permitted to own land or livestock, or even to learn how to read and write. School, a career and independence can seem far out of their reach. Overlooked by government programs and often denied education, many of these rural women face a cycle of poverty, hunger and despair.

A program called WiLD- Women in Livestock Development- may help change that. Run by the world hunger organization Heifer International, it provides women with livestock including cows, goats, water buffalo, poultry and other animals, as well as microcredit loans. It also provides training in strategic planning, reading, math and sustainable agricultural practices.

The training and livestock help women overcome discrimination and strengthen their position within their communities.

Heifer said that the women's often dramatic success shows others that women are capable of generating and stewarding family income and that men then begin to see the value of including women in decision making. The hunger organization adds that, before long, a ripple effect of changing attitudes sweeps through communities and lasts for generations.

In addition to the WiLD program, Heifer has engaged impoverished women to empower them with ideas, knowledge, skills and resources. The goal is to enable women to come out of isolation, emerge into the public square and create a brighter economic future for their families.

To learn more, visit www.heifer.org.

This story is provided by North American Precis Syndicate Inc.