Tag: Community Development

Goats ARE NOT goats ARE NOT goats …

On By Daniel EmigIn Food, GHNI, Goat, IndiaLeave a comment

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Goats-For-India are as intricate to GHNI’s TCD plan as it gets!  When it comes to micro-enterprise initiatives, goats rank high.

India has about 20 breeds of goats and they are raised primarily for milk and meat.  Choosing a “best” breed for a given village cluster location isn’t always easy.  There is always the local goat market, usually held each Friday near a fairly major town center.  Two of the better breeds sought out are:

*   Jamnapari is one of the largest goats in India; it has been extensively utilized to upgrade indigenous breeds for meat and milk, and has been taken to  near by countries for the same purpose.

*   Beetel is a good dairy breed, second to Jamnapari in size but is superior to it in that it is more prolific and more easily adaptable to different agro-ecological conditions and to stall-feeding.

But these specific breeds tend to be expensive and it can get cumbersome to raise such breeds with their needs for more expensive vaccinations, etc..  So as we work with local village leaders, it is important that we listen well to their input and make plans with their “embracement” of any TCD initiatives.  From that base, there is a much higher success to any micro-enterprise goat business.

Thanks for your financial input in making these goat micro-enterprise endeavors a possibility!   Dan

Water & Wells …

On By Daniel EmigIn Water, WellsLeave a comment

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Wells are such a big part of what GHNI is and does!   It almost goes without saying.  But it needs to be said yet again … “WELLS”.  Wells are water.  It sounds so simplistic.

We in the West forget so quickly that water is an essential formation of all societies and cultures.  Where would your latte be without the water for that steamed milk?  Where would your choosing be of that Delta faucet, without that clear water to run through it?  Clean bodies and cars come from clean water.

For most people in the world, the issue of water is a lot closer in conscience to “survival”.  No water?  No sustenance.  No water?  No food to grow.  No water?  No health.  No water?  No school.  No water?  No … and the survival-list goes on and on.

Wells and water are 1st on GHNI’s list of essentials for any village.  Water before any of the other TCD needs.  Water before food.  Water before health.  Water before education.  Water before micro-enterprise.

Thank you deeply for your contributions of water for these villages we serve!

 

Anti-Human Trafficking

On By Daniel EmigIn GHNI, human trafficking, India, sexual exploitationLeave a comment

Back from Kolkata(Calcutta), India … where half of our trip was invested in building relationships and a deeper understanding of how GHNI can assist and work alongside people and organizations already involved in anti-human trafficking.  “Sober” is putting it extremely lightly, as we the team of three began to delve into and more deeply understand this devastating and complex work among a diverse group of organizations and philosophies pressing into these needs.  Photography and personal interviews were simply not allowed; and for many-MANY good reasons.  It was an experience I will never forget!         Please note picture is blurred for privacy issues.  

Women & Children (blurred)

“Planner” versus “Searcher”

On By Daniel EmigIn GHNI, India, Other Countries with GHNILeave a comment
"Searcher" Education - Sri Lanka

 

The White Man’s Burden, the book has some insight into what we in GHNI are talking about when it addresses the “Planner” versus the “Searcher”.

Quote: “In foreign aid, Planners announce good intentions but don’t motivate anyone to carry them out;    Searchers find things that work and get some reward(for recipients – my add).  Planners raise expectations but take no responsibility for meeting them;  Searchers accept responsibility for their actions.  Planners determine what to supply;  Searchers find out what is in demand.  Planners apply global blueprints;  Searchers adapt to local conditions.  Planners at the top lack knowledge of the bottom;  Searchers find out what reality is at the bottom.”    

GHNI is constantly pursuing that “bottom”, that true need, that which is most helpful in self-sustainability and transforming lives.  Embracement, personal embracement of change, and using all local relationships and resources, all go hand in hand.  This can never happen in a top-down(bottom) approach.

Searcher … is who we are and how we do it.