News

Estonian Farmers Union Study Tour Visit in Poland

2010-08-06

Heifer Poland helped organize a study tour for the Estonian farmers who drove through Latvia and Lithuania to get to Poland. Then they drove to the south to visit the Carpathian region where we have our regional office and many of our projects. Field assistant Zygmunt Paluch was there and assisted the Estonians with all necessary information and showed them in the region. This company has many years of experience in breeding and distribution of many breeds of dairy and meat. This company has worked with Heifer Poland since 1992 and in many of our regional projects, they are responsible for the insemination of cattle belonging to the Heifer project participants. After lunch and a short rest, the guests went to the village of Nagórzany and visited the farm of Mr. Adam Heron. Mr. Heron began breeding Simmental dairy cattle in 1994. He received his first two cattle from Heifer. Currently, it is a historical project for Heifer Poland; the aim was to rebuild the Simmental cattle in the Carpathian region. Currently, Adam is the owner of 27 heads of cattle. Mr. Heron said that his success was only possible thanks to the help he received from Heifer International. Another argument of the visit was the meeting with Mr. Jan Orybkieiczem in the picturesque apiary. Jan has cooperated with Heifer since 2005. He received 10 bee colonies and completed a master's course in beekeeping. Despite the fact that Jan has long fulfilled all his obligations of Passing on the Gift, he is still a very active member of the beekeeping EKO Bieszczady group and a great ambassador promoting Heifer worldwide. The visit of farmers from Estonia ended with a modest ceremony during which they exchanged gifts and made a group photo. We look forward to many other study tours where farmers can learn from each other. We will gladly help facilitate such meetings in Poland and abroad.

4-H Club Members from Indiana Visit Poland

2010-07-25

An annual exchange of youth, children and adults from the state of Indiana to the Świętokrzyskie province took place June 2010. They came to Poland for two weeks. Nineteen 4-H club members, youths and adults, coordinated and led the clubs associated with Purdue University. During their stay in Poland, they lived with Polish families in the Świętokrzyskie province to get better acquainted with the Polish culture and customs. They will also have a chance to visit a Heifer project,"Environmental Protection through Education and Nature Trails in four Provinces by 4-H clubs". They traveled to see many places connected with our country's history. In Warsaw, they visited the Old Town, Polish Parliament and Warsaw University of Life Sciences. In Krakow they will also have a chance to see the Old Town and the University of Agriculture. We are very glad that the 4-H group also visited our Heifer office. We gave them a short presentation about Heifer and the Program in Poland. They also watched "Passing on the Gift" and "Stories of Hope" movies. This fall, the same group of 4-H members will visit Heifer's learning center in Perryville. This will be their second stay there.

Heifer Project Participants Help Farmers Affected by the Floods

2010-07-25

On June 19, 2010, participants of the "Simmental Cattle as a Source of Milk and Beef for small scale Farmers of the Pierzchnica Community" project arranged a collection of hay for farmers from the region that had suffered during the floods that hit Poland in May and June. The idea, which came from Lech Lewandowski, leader of the project, was met with spontaneous positive reactions from families involved in the Heifer project. In the beginning, they planned to collect about 400 hay bales. After the proposal of the action, farmers successfully gathered over 1,300 hay bales! One of the farmers, alone, gave flood victims 120 hay bales, which requires one big hay trailer. People gave their own potatoes and corn in the true spirit of passing on help. Thanks to the action, 52 families received valuable help. All of them had lost their crops in the flood, and it will be almost impossible for them to have a harvest this year. Receiving more support is very important to them. They are very grateful for the hay, straw, corn and potatoes which will help them to feed their animals. Now, they are fighting against the mud and mosquitoes, which have become a real plague after the flood water dropped. What is very important to stress, is that the farmers organized this action on their own; they did not wait for anyone's suggestions. We are very pleased that the participants of the project in Pierzchnica can recognize when other people are in need and use the Heifer values of sharing and caring towards them.

Direct Marketing Journalists Visit Heifer Projects in Poland

2010-07-16

In the Poland office, July 6-12, 2010, we had the great pleasure of hosting Christian DeVries, writer, and Geoff Bugbee, photographer, who cooperate with the Direct Marketing team at Heifer International headquarters in Little Rock, AR. They came to Poland to write stories about families who received support from Heifer International. They traveled for five days to visit the projects located in Eastern and Northern Poland. During these days, they had a chance to meet with farmers from the projects: "Draft Horses for Farmers in Dołhobrody" "Milk and Eggs Alleviate Poverty" "Indigenous Breeds Help Farmers to Generate Income" "Cattle and Pig Breeding as a Source of Income for the Farmers in the Region of Kurpie Białe" "Swine, Chicken and Fish for Miączyn and Arklity - Mar-Kot Communities Every meeting with the Heifer families was special and unique. For the project participants, it was an opportunity to share their joys and sorrows of their daily life. It was a great opportunity for Christian and Geoff to hear and see how farmers in Poland live and how important Heifer's assistance is. The meetings with the families were moving and very memorable, when observing their happiness and gratitude after receiving one heifer or one horse. During a meeting with the homeless people of the Mar-Kot Association, we could see their true commitment and concern for animals and the happiness they share, forcing everyone to reflect on their own life. We hope to read the stories and see the pictures about the impact on Polish families soon. It will be a great message to everyone who shares Heifer's values and beliefs and shows that Heifer projects really do change people's lives all over the world.

POG and 1st County Show of Cold-Blooded Horses in Dołhobrody

2010-05-28

On May 23, 2010, the Passing on the Gift (POG) ceremony took place in the Dolhobrody Community. Two beautiful mares were passed on to the farmers of the project "Draft Horses for Farmers in Dołhobrody." This time, the POG ceremony was combined with an exhibition of cold-blooded horses. Five stallions and fifteen mares competed for the title of Champion and Vice-Champion of the show. Among the mares presented, two belonged to farmers participating in the Heifer project. All of the mares were excellently prepared for the show and all received very high marks from the judges. Despite this, Fable, the Heifer mare given to project participant Mr. Krzysztof Samczuk, won the mare competition. This distinction was particularly important to him. Among the participants of the project, he is known as a person who loves animals and gives his passion and commitment to the horses. Unfortunately, a few days before the show his brother died. Mr. Krzysztof, despite his grief, took part in the exhibition. Furthermore, he passed on Fable to the next farmer participating in the project. It was a very touching and unique POG . Emotionally touched, Mr. Krzysztof passed on the champion mare to her new owner, obediently following Heifer's rule. On behalf of Mr. Christopher Samczuk, representatives of the Heifer Poland Foundation received the winner's cup and certificate. The all-day event was very well prepared by the "Socio-Educational Association of Dołhobrody." There were many attractions throughout the day, such as competitions and games for children and performances of folk and youth groups. Among the invited guests were national and local authorities, donors of a project, and project participants from Dołhobrody and neighboring projects in Stary Brus and Wlodawa.

"Lamb 101 Ways" the First Book Promoting Lamb Meat in Poland

2010-05-21

On May 13, 2010, an event promoting the book "Lamb 101 Ways" took place in the Tavern on the Kamieniec in Nowy Sącz. The initiator of the meeting was the Greenworks Association, which is the project holder of the "Sheep Breeding for Balanced Development for Food and Livelihood Security of the Łabowa Community's Farms" project. The book is a collection of recipes provided by the inhabitants of the Małopolska Region. They come from old magazines, cookbooks and notebooks written by housewives. This is one of the first publications of this type, co-sponsored by Heifer Poland. The authors of the book hope that this publication bring people back to cooking lamb. Recently, most restaurant owners have purchased the sheep meat imported from New Zealand. Sheep breeders, including farmers, participating in the Heifer project had problems with slaughter and marketing the lamb. With this book and the meeting promotion, consumers can learn about the health benefits and the taste of lamb meat and milk. Thanks to the efforts of local leaders and our organization, a local slaughter houses broadened its range of slaughtering sheep a few days ago. Participants of Heifer project will be able to sell lambs at a good and cost-effective price. The meeting for the book attracted many guests. Among them was Leszek Zegza, Speaker of the Parliament of the Małopolska Region, Witold Kozlowski, Chairman of the Parliament of the Małopolska Region, Marek Janczar, Head of the Łabowa Community and Piotr Jazniewicz and Adriana Germel, representatives of the Heifer Poland office, as well as other local authorities and businessmen. The event also attracted the interest of the media. Media coverage appeared on television, radio and newspapers the next day. Thus, many people are interested in participating in the sheep project in Łabowa and are interested in buying the recipe book. Unfortunately, at present it is not available; it will be obtained by taking part in competitions announced in the media and by our foundation.

Heifer Poland Celebrates 20 Year Anniversary of Earth Day in Poland

2010-05-14

Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental educator on April 22, 1970, and is celebrated in more than 175 countries on this date every year. This year, the 40 year anniversary celebration of Earth Day worldwide and the 20 year anniversary celebration of Earth Day in Poland were on the same day. Moreover, the UN General Assembly proclaimed this year to be the "International Year of Biodiversity", therefore, the nationwide celebration of the World Earth Day 2010 took place under the banner of "Diversity in Us and Biodiversity Around Us", which focused on this year's festival events. The anniversary of this year's celebration of Earth Day in Poland took place on April 25 at the Pole Mokotowskie in Warsaw. The key objective of the event was to promote ecological knowledge, issues closely related to protection of ecosystems and natural habitats and species, combined with the formation of norms of behavior conductive to the protection of biodiversity. During the all-day festival, Warsaw residents and visiting guests were able to spend a good time wandering around the presentations of Polish National Parks and National Forests presentations where they were able to obtain saplings of trees and shrubs. The festival was also a great opportunity to gain information about the activities of environmental NGOs and institutions working to protect biodiversity. Heifer Poland also took part in this great event. We had two special displays of our activities. We promoted our program in the category of the information and culinary stands. In the culinary stands, p articipants of our two projects, "Cattle and Pig Breeding as a Source of Income for the Farmers in the Region of Kurpie Białe" and "Indigenous Breeds Help Farmers to Generate Income" sold local products such as cold cut delicacies (meat of the Zlotnicka breed), cheese, milk from the Simmental cattle breed, dumplings, jars of preserved fruits, cakes made with eggs from the green leg chicken, as well as a traditional cake called "Sękacz". The interest of the products was great. Lots of people were interested in buying the products not only occasionally, but wanted to know where they could get them after the festival. The event was a very good occasion to inform the public about Heifer's work in Poland, and the promotion of our projects with local breeds and traditional varieties of trees and plants.

11th Project Holders Meeting in Warsaw, Poland

2010-05-07

The Project Holders Meeting took place April 26-27, 2010, in Warsaw, Poland. This year the meeting was combined with a conference called, "Tackling the Problems of Hunger and Poverty and Environmental Protection". It was the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010. The meeting was attended by more then 30 project leaders, representatives of the Heifer Slovakia office: Marta Kulikova, Dusan Cvek and Pavel Krajc, representatives of the Heifer Baltic Foundation: Arunas Svitojus and Vaida Baranuskaite, guest speakers and Heifer Poland staff. The first part of the meeting was devoted to the assumptions and actions of the "European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion". The guest speakers of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the European Anti Poverty Network spoke about how to raise awareness around poverty and social exclusion, how to empower people, especially farmers, living in poverty, and how to lobby for and with people and groups facing poverty and social exclusion. During the second part of the conference, Heifer's mission and its activities against poverty around the world were presented by the Country Program Directors from Poland, Slovakia and Lithuania, and from the project leaders from Poland. Professor Henryk Jasiorowski, the first director of the Central and Eastern Europe Program, stressed the importance of Heifer's work. He reminded all participants of the history of the organization and the importance of Heifer's values and mission. The meeting this year also was devoted to fundraising. The project leaders took part in the workshop provided by a professional fundraising trainer, a member of the Polish fundraising association, which is the most prestigious fundraising association in Poland. The leaders were told how to find a donor, how to present the organization in the best way, how to ask for support and how to build good, long-term relationships with a donor. The participants also were provided with the newest information from Heifer headquarters and the Heifer Poland office. Each leader received handouts with reports, brochures and different publications that can be useful in their field work. At the end of the meeting, the office staff thanked the leaders whose projects have been finished.

Study Visit to Kurpie Biale Region

2008-10-20

On the 4th of October 19 HPI leaders from projects located north-eastern part of Poland came to Kurpie Biale to participate in two-day long study trip. During their visit they had an opportunity to learn about HPI project for farmers in Kurpie region where Simmental cattle and Zlotnicka breed of swine had been distributed. The farmers Association >NEIGHBOR< is a project holder of this project. Mrs. Jadwiga Farat - a project leader - was a tour guide, showing the group a few farms included into the project. The second day started with power point presentations by two representatives from Spoleczny Instytut Ekologiczny (Social Ecological Institute) - Mrs. Elzbieta Priwieziencew and Ewa Sieniarska - about mission of the organization and specific projects for promoting biodiversity in agriculture in the region of Kurpie Biale. After a farm visits the participants had an excellent meal prepared by women from Women's club in Lipianka village. All participants were impressed by the outcome of the HPI project led by Mrs. Farat and good collaboration of the >NEIGHBOR< Association with other local organizations like: Goworowo Center of Recreation and Sport or Educational Center in Lipianka.

CEE Values Based Development Model Workshop, October 12-15, 2007

2007-10-22

Twenty two CEE field staff met in Tatranska Lomnica, Slovakia for a workshop on the Values-Based Development Model. Jerry Aaker, co-author of "The Heifer Model", was the guest facilitator. He was assisted by Vincent Spione, Deputy Director of PM&E. Participants shared experiences and best practices as they were led through the four steps in the Values-Based Development process. A special emphasis was given to how values, particularly the Cornerstones, can be incorporated into project planning, monitoring, and evaluation. The highlight of the workshop was the field visit in the Lendak project where the project participants had received heifers and draft horses. HPI Poland office was represented by Joanna Cichocka and Zygmunt Paluch.

Evaluation on HPI Program in Poland

2007-09-24

From 11th to 17th of September the evaluation on HPI Program in Poland took place. The evaluation was carried out by Anne Stanneveld from the Netherlands, who has been selected for that job by Heifer International, USA. The evaluation process contained meeting with HPI team, discussing with office employees individually as well as visiting HPI projects. The results of the evaluation of HPI Program in Poland will be used during preparation of the new Strategic Plan for our country, that is going to be held in Krakow, from 13 to 14 of November, 2007.

Meeting of the Sheep Breeders in Zelazna

2007-09-17

On the 13th of September representatives of 3 HPI projects groups attended the meeting organized by the Animal Research Institute in Zelazna. The meeting was devoted to creation of national association of sheep breeders to help the small scale farmers to market their products. Current situation on the sheep market is quite difficult due to lack of interest of the local processing plants in lambs purchasing. Therefore, the farmers are desperately looking for solution to that problem and they found helping hand of the research institute in Zelazna and extension center in Boguchwala. The entity that is going to be established will coordinate production, collection and marketing of sheep for the groups from all over Poland. HPI office, represented by Katarzyna Malec during that meeting, is really happy that HPI sheep breeders bravely decided to join that national initiative.

15th Anniversary of Heifer International's Program in Central and Eastern Europe

2007-08-01

On the 25-29 of July we celebrated 15th Anniversary of Heifer International's Program in Central and Eastern Europe. The ceremony was held in Vilnius, Lithuania and included conference on reduction of hanger and poverty as well as two visits to HPI projects conducted in Lithuania. The event was attended by the representatives of CEE Department in Headquarter of HPI, country directors of all HPI European offices and many guests from partner's organizations and institutions. It was a great honor for HPI that the welcoming and opening of the conference were attended by the most prominent politicians of the country Mr. Valdas Adamkus, President of Lithuania and Mrs. Kazimira Danute Prunskiene, Minister of Agriculture of Lithuania. We were also very proud and happy that Mrs. Jo Luck, President and CEO of Heifer International was personally representing HPI during that important event. The conference and the field visits were to share information about poverty and the best methods of preventing and reducing it in different countries. We were also considering cooperation with national and international agencies and organizations on the way of fulfilling our mission. This celebration event was an unforgettable experience for all participants.

Study Tour to Poland, May 21 - June 1, 2007

2007-06-11

From the 21st of May to the 1st of June the Study Tour to Poland took place. The group of 15 visitors was led by Jan Schrock from HQ Little Rock. During 12 days tour our guests visited 9 HPI projects in north and east Poland and took part in Passing on the Gift Ceremony in the Simmental Cattle project in Wlodawa community (27-0629-01). The projects selected for the visits were to illustrate diversity of Heifer's work in Poland. Each visit consisted of the visit to the farms, meetings with the farmers, local authorities, supporters and friends of the projects. In addition to the projects with farmer's groups our guests had an opportunity to visit the orphanage and the centers for homeless people who are also supported by HPI through the gift of animals and training. The farmers groups visited by Study Tour participants were assisted by HPI through purchasing for them the following animals: gees and chicken, sheep, horses, dairy cows and beef cattle. Among these animals were also examples of local breeds, in revitalization of which HPI Poland is strongly involved. In addition to field visits the group had an opportunity to see Warsaw, Gdansk and Kracow as well as the castle in Malbork, the Hitler headquarters in Gierloz and Concentration Camp in Majdanek.

Project Holders Meeting, 11-14 April, Nowe Rumunki, Poland

2007-04-20

From 11th to 14th of April, 2007 Project Holders Meeting was held in Nowe Rumunki, Poland. The annual meeting of HPI Leaders was devoted to 15th Anniversary of HPI in Poland and to the review of the Strategic Plan for the years 2003-2007. It was attended by 35 project leaders, representative of Local Authority Office - Mr. Miachał Boszko, Member of the Board of Directors in USA - Prof. Henryk Jasiorowski, Vice President of Central and Eastern Program - dr Rafal Laski, Representatives of HPI office in Slovakia - Marta Kulikova and Jan Valek and Warsaw HPI staff members. The history of HPI Poland was presented to the participants by prof. Henryk Jasiorowski, who has been cooperating with HPI from the very beginning of its presence in Poland. Moreover, the participants of the meeting visited HPI project: "Dairy Cattle Development in Bulkowo Community" and explored the countryside of Łąck. The meeting was an unforgettable experience for all participants.

CEE Council Meeting with the Partners, 15-18 January 2007, Limerick, Ireland

2007-01-26

From 15th to 18th of January, 2007 annual meeting of Heifer Council for Central and Eastern Europe was held in Limerick, Ireland. We were hosted by the nongovernmental organization called Bothar ( www.bothar.org ), which has been a partner of Heifer International for many years. One part of the meeting was devoted to cooperation of HPI European offices with international partners. The next one was used for summary of HPI work in Europe in 2006 and for setting directions of its development in 2007. Our stay in Ireland included also a visit to the Dovea Genetics in Thurel, where we learned about the quality beef bulls breeding and the way local farmers are using that genetic resources for their everyday operations. It was very impressive lesson to learn for the visitors from East and Central Europe.

The Opening Ceremony of the HPI Project in Dołhobrody Community

2006-11-08

The ceremony was held on the 6th of November 2006 in DoŁhobrody community. 10 horses were given to farmers, new participants of the HPI project "Draft horses for Farmers in Dolhobrody". The event was attended by the farmers, representatives of Local Authority Office, local media and others. Mrs. Krystyna Kazimiruk, the project leader, hosted the ceremony. Our office was represented by Mr. Piotr Jaśniewicz, the coordinator of the project, and Mr. Paweł Rodzoch, our financial officer.

Passing on the Gift Ceremony in Bulkowo Community

2006-11-07

The first Passing on Gift Ceremony for the Dairy Cattle project was held in November 2006 in Bulkowo community. 4 dairy cattle were passed on to the new owners. The Ceremony was prepared by the group of farmers involved in the projects activities and Mr. Zbigniew Ignaczewski the project leader, who led the ceremony. Participants included farmers and many local authorities. HPI office was represented by Ms. Katarzyna Malec, HPI Director for Poland and Mr. Piotr Jaśniewicz, who coordinates the project.

Strategic Planning Workshop, 17-27 October 2006, Little Rock, USA

2006-11-02

From 17th to 27th of October 2006, Ms. Katarzyna Malec, the director of HPI Poland participated in IP retreat and after that in Strategic Planning workshop held in Little Rock, USA. The purpose of the meeting was to develop a new Program Strategic Plan for 2007-2012. Participants included Programs staff, from headquarters and the field, and representatives from other divisions within Heifer. The participants completed a force field analysis to determine what factors are moving us forward and what challenges are holding us back from achieving our mission. As a result a new vision and statement of purpose for Programs were drafted.

Carpathian Project Partners Meeting in Sanok, Poland

2006-09-28

The first Carpathian Project Partners Meeting was held in September, 26-27, 2006 in Sanok, Poland. The attendees included Country Directors and staff members from Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. During this meeting we discussed the future of the project activities and Heifer's work in the field of agrotourism, organic farming, growing and collecting mushrooms, berries, and herbs, preservation and promotion of local breeds, and microenterprise development for traditional products.

Golden Talent Award for Mr. Piotr Puchalski, leader of the project no. 27-0631-01 called "Supporting Organic Farmers of Stary Dzików Community"

2006-09-02

Mr. Piotr Puchalski has been selected as this year's 2005 recipient of Heifer International's Golden Talent Award in Poland. This award is given annually to one family, group of farmers or individual per country who has shown great achievement in taking a minimum of resources, converting it into a sustaining source of income, while at the same time helping other families and their communities. Mr. Piotr Puchalski has made an excellent use of what he was given and became a model to others. Congratulations!