Heifer envisions...
A world of communities living together in peace and equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet.

Heifer’s mission is...
To work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth.

Heifer's strategy is...
To "pass on the gift" - As people share their animals’ offspring with others, along with their knowledge, resources, and skills, an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe.

Heifer’s History
This simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief caught on and has continued for almost 60 years. Today, millions of families in 128 countries have been given the gifts of self-reliance and hope.

Heifer has learned over the years that you need to take a holistic approach if you want to build sustainable communities. So Heifer developed a set of global initiatives - areas of emphasis that must be addressed if Heifer is to meet their mission of ending world hunger and poverty and caring for the earth.

Agroecology
Helping communities preserve their ability to support themselves by protecting their land, water and other natural resources as well as livestock. Read more.

Animal Management
Animal Welfare Guidelines are strictly enforced in every Heifer project. Read more.

Disaster Rehabilitation
Providing long-term solutions that help families rebuild after a natural or man-made disaster. Read more.

Gender Equity
Ensuring that women are equal partners in sustainable development projects and that their important role in family food security is recognized. Read more.

HIV-AIDS
Responding aggressively to the spread of HIV/AIDS and the alarming rise in the number of the world’s orphans. Read more.

Microenterprise
Providing small loans to help people start and expand tiny businesses that yield big benefits for families. Read more.

Urban Agriculture
Heifer is reconnecting city-dwellers with their food sources, building strong alliances and instilling an entrepreneurial spirit among adults and youth through our Urban Agriculture projects.Read more.

Heifer International has field offices around the world that work in partnership with a large network of local non-governmental and grassroots organizations.

Heifer recruits field staff from the project countries they represent, ensuring that they speak local languages and dialects, understand local cultural constraints and opportunities and have a variety of technical skills that help project participants confront the challenges they encounter.

If you were to ask Heifer project partners, "What are the most fundamental principles upon which you build your life?" many would answer "Heifer's Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development."

These principles, used for more than 60 years, light the way for people who are on the road to self-reliance.

Cornerstones stimulate group wisdom and personal insights, and they keep people's hearts, minds and actions balanced, focused and productive.

Together, they form the acronym PASSING ON THE GIFTS and echo the quintessential Cornerstone and trademark practice that makes Heifer unique and its projects sustainable.

Passing on the Gift Accountability Sharing and Caring Sustainability and Self-Reliance Improved Animal Management Nutrition and Income Gender and Family Focus ON THE Genuine Need and Justice Improving the Environment Full Participation Training and Education Spirituality