By Frank Ramirez
As the organization approaches the 80th anniversary of its founding, Heifer International’s CEO Surita Sandosham emphasizes the importance of serving the present age in ways that suit the times. In an Equipping Session titled “Conversation with CEO of Heifer International,” Sandosham spoke about the importance of “building fellowship” and about how Heifer International adds value to the community.
In many cases, the organization is seeking to help women who are the farmers (often the men have left for other countries to seek work) who are struggling within the confines of a patriarchal society. The solution is often to help establish co-ops so that the women can create supportive structures to move beyond subsistence farming into substantive lives that include school for their children, health care solutions, and sustainable living.
Heifer International has 970 staff worldwide, 200 of whom are located in the US. The staff are deployed in ways that make their work temporary, as they share in the creation of the structures that rely on local leadership. And, she emphasized, “The model doesn’t work in every country we work in.” So flexibility is key.
She reported that “780 million people still go to bed hungry.” Heifer alone cannot abolish hunger, so partnerships with governments and other non-governmental organizations is essential. “What value can we add?” she asked, when considering what other feet on the ground are doing.
Berit Kimrey, one of those American employees based in Little Rock, Ark., said that the work force is very dedicated. Personally, she related, “I work with churches all across the States. I grew up with the Read to Feed program. This is very special to me personally,” Kimrey continued, “Let’s make the world better.”
In the United States, Sandosham noted, farming has often skipped a generation. As a result, Kimrey said, Heifer International has created a variety of YouTube videos that help teach essentials to new farmers. Many of these videos have gone viral.
Sandosham has been CEO of Heifer International for less than two years, so she is still learning. “It’s important to honor the past,” she said, “but first you have to know it.” In addition, she said, “You have to respect the people in the countries you’re supervising. We are trying to take a systematic approach to the agricultural issues.”
Some things are out of their control, especially the effects of climate change which has the most adverse impact on the poorest regions of the earth. This requires “a real shift in mindset,” Sandosham said.
In the midst of it all, she emphasizes Heifer’s important slogan: “Locally Led, Globally Connected.”
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