What One Business Can Do

Posted on November 6th, 2008 by Sandy Reed

Dan West was a farmer born in Ohio in 1893. He served as a relief worker in Spain following the Spanish Civil War. Day after day he handed out rations of milk to those he could, even though there were many who received none. Dan saw that there was never enough to go around, and it was gone all too quickly, leaving many children hungry.

One day he had an epiphany, “They don’t need a cup, they need a cow!” Thus was born the mission of Heifer International, which now spans the globe, to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth.

The first shipment of dairy cows went to Puerto Rico more than sixty years ago to families whose children had never tasted milk before. “What does this have to do with business”, you may ask. For Nikiema Aminata, who is a member of a Heifer-funded women’s poultry association in the African nation of Burkina Faso, it has everything to do with business and the opportunities business can provide those in need around the world.

Another Heifer recipient was the mother of Beatrice Biira, who grew up in the village of Kisinga, Uganda. She received a got in 1991. Because Beatrice’s mother was able to sell enough goat’s milk to send Beatrice to the local elementary school, she then won a scholarship to a high school in the capital of Uganda, Kampala. Beatrice went on to attend a prep school in the US, entered Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut on a full scholarship, where she majored in international development. Beatrice now has a best selling children’s book, Beatrice’s Goat, and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes, and Good Morning, America. She is an avid spokesperson for Heifer International and gives talks to various groups to raise money for the organization that has been of benefit to so many.

All Heifer recipients must agree to “pass on the gift” to someone else. In this way all gifts are multiplied over and over again. Through Heifer’s gift of chickens to Nikiema, she was given the ability to help her community survive a famine by using the money from the sale of eggs to pay for food, education, and literacy training, and passing on the offsprings of her chickens to those women . These classes teach women in the poultry association to read and write, and develop the skills to manage their own crops, giving them the ability to become self-reliant and in turn pass on the gift of the offsprings of the chickens, and so it goes…

What can one successful business do? It can make a world of difference to those who receive its gifts, whether they be gifts of chickens, cows, or the ability to do a job, or provide a service because of what you can provide to your customers. Never underestimate the power of what you have to offer and your ability to make a difference in the world.

Want to use my articles in your ezine or website?

You’re welcome to, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

“Sandy Reed is the President and Founder of the International Association of Women in Family Enterprises (IAWIFE). She is a professional business coach, writer, and co-owns her own successful family business. If you’re ready to take your family business to the next level of success; receive support, education, and connect with like-minded women, join her members at www.iawife.com. Sandy’s business building articles have been published in True Wealth and Simply Home magazines.”