Mrs. Ranney-Poole

The most important part of the HEIFER model is the "passing on the gift."  It is the responsibility of the beneficiary to pass on the first female offspring to a member of their community.  This is an extremely important piece of the sustainable resource portion of HEIFER's mission.  

     Three hours south of Tegulcigapa, we visited a small town named “Concepción de María” near Langue, in the department of Valle, near the El Salvador border. We met at a school named for Jose Cecilio del Valle, an important figure in Honduras’ struggle for independence.

    We were able to witness the “Pase de Cadena” ceremony. Heifer works with Fundación Simiente in this region.  As we drove up to the local school, we were met with the sounds of mariachi music and the vision of children dancing.  This community had gathered together to celebrate the passing on the gift of three female cows.

    The ceremony began with a prayer in which the local women's group leader thanked God, HEIFER, and the people in the community.  The entire village sang the Honduras national anthem.  The HEIFER representative read the agreement and beneficiaries signed their commitment to love, care for, and pass on the gift of their new cows.  This was an amazing experience and we were very fortunate to be warmly welcomed by the locals.

Video of the local children singing 

http://mrsranneypoole.com/childrensinging.mpg 

Video of man presenting cows

http://mrsranneypoole.com/presentingcows.mpg

Passing on the gift

Signing of the agreement

Presenting the cows

Celebrating the passing of the gift