STRENGTH IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY 6 30 38 - Heifer International
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SPRING 2021 | HEIFER.ORG
®THE MAGAZINE OF HEIFER INTERNATIONAL
STRENGTH IN
THE FACE OF
ADVERSITY
6 RENEWING THE EARTH
THROUGH REGENERATIVE
AGRICULTURE
30 REBUILDING IN THE
SHADOW OF CONFLICT
38 SACRED COW DOCUMENTARY
LOCKS HORNS WITH BEEF
DETRACTORS
PLUS
Food Advocate and
Author Speaks on
U.S. Farming
TRIPLE YOUR IMPACT!
AND HELP FEED EVEN MORE HUNGRY CHILDREN
For a limited time, every dollar you send to Heifer International will
be matched by two more — so your gift will have 3X the impact!
Give today:
So parents can learn the skills they need to put food on the table each
night and send their children to school
So families can afford essential supplies like face masks, medical care
and nutritious food to keep their families healthy and strong during the
COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
So futures once filled with despair will be filled with hope, stability and
prosperity
A group of generous donors contributed matching funds available up to $3 million,
but time is limited. Please help today! Your gift will go three times as far to help
hardworking families lift themselves out of hunger and poverty once and for all.
Please visit Heifer.org/Triple
HEIFER INTERNATIONAL | 1 WORLD AVENUE | LITTLE ROCK, AR 72202 | 888.548.6437 | INFO@HEIFER.ORG | HEIFER.ORG
HEIFER INTERNATIONAL | 1 WORLD AVENUE | LITTLE ROCK, AR 72202 | 888.548.6437 | INFO@HEIFER.ORG | HEIFER.ORG
horizons
RESILIENCE IN
THE FACE OF
ADVERSITY AND
INNOVATION
DESPITE
OBSTACLES
Dear Determined Humanitarians,
This issue is a celebration marginalized communities with you a transcript of the
of resilience in the face of that are struggling to adapt fireside-style chat I had
adversity and innovation to conditions that have left with Leah Penniman, a
despite obstacles. We know them unable to transport farmer and author who’s
the challenges are great, but their produce to market and making a difference tackling
we here at Heifer International unable to earn an income. racial injustice. Leah wrote
are even more committed to Here in the United States, Farming While Black, the first
our mission to end hunger and the COVID-19 pandemic comprehensive how-to guide
poverty. Despite the upheaval has spurred appreciation of for Black farmers. Her work
caused by the COVID-19 strong supply chains and has been widely recognized,
pandemic that has impacted locally produced food. We’re and we’re thrilled to have had
the lives of millions as well so proud to report that unlike the opportunity to listen and
as our work in 21 countries other meat processing plants learn how we here at Heifer can
around the globe, our project around the country, our work toward greater inclusion
participants and our partners partner Cypress Valley Meat and even greater equality.
are embracing the challenge. Company in Clinton, Arkansas, Finally, I would like to take a
We are inspired by has continued operations moment to reflect on the ways
their courage every day. during the pandemic in a in which Heifer works to bring
The impact of the pandemic responsible way due to the communities together, at home
is truly global, and we’re commitment of owner and and abroad. Our strength is
proud to share some of the co-founder Andy Shaw to our diversity, our passion for
work that inspires us. In this safe and humane practices. fairness and caring for others,
issue you’ll visit with Leah In Nepal, goat farmers and our commitment to being
Amongi in Uganda, who is Ganga Gharti and her husband, stewards of the Earth. We’re in
an entrepreneur in the Learn Rudra Pun, are an example of this together, and I would like
for Agribusiness project. what it takes to rebuild after to express my gratitude to you
Amongi is a leader in her crisis. With Heifer’s help, this for your support as we navigate
community and has been couple is thriving after the these uncharted waters.
working to train rural farmers decadelong Nepalese Civil
and bring them resources via War. Their story of courage Yours for a better world,
her motorcycle during the in the face of adversity is a
lockdown. She’s on the cover reminder than we can all
of this magazine, zooming rebuild and recover even when
through the countryside. Her it seems that all hope is lost. Pierre U. Ferrari
story draws attention to the I’m also excited to share @HeiferCEO
HEIFER.ORG | 1
SPRING 2021 table of contents
17 STRENGTH IN THE FACE
OF ADVERSITY
The COVID-19 pandemic quickly
put many people around the
world, including farmers and
others working in food systems,
in extremely difficult financial
situations. But in the midst of the
crisis, Heifer International project
participants are responding with
resolve and resilience, finding
ways to continue supporting
their families and communities.
30
COVER: Farmer and
agri-input entrepreneur REBUILDING IN THE
Leah Amongi zooms SHADOW OF CONFLICT
through the fields of Conscripted by Maoist rebels
Dokolo District, Uganda. in their youth, Ganga Gharti
(Photo by James Akena)
and Rudra Pun met during
TOP: Patricia Morocho, the Nepalese Civil War and
a member of the La Changa escaped together toward the
Collective supported by end of the conflict. Starting over
Heifer, puts together baskets
of fresh produce for delivery
was difficult, but the couple
in Cotopaxi, Ecuador. made a new life together with
(Photo by Isadora Romero) the help of Heifer Nepal.
HEIFER.ORG | 3
letters RE ADERS RESPOND
A LONG HISTORY OF GIVING
We would like to share an uplifting
story from our congregation
with you. Even in a time filled
with fear and anxiety, The
Church of the Pilgrimage of
Plymouth, Massachusetts,
ART BY MARC E ATON, COURTESY OF WILLIAM HARTING
continues their commitment to
ending hunger and poverty by
supporting Heifer International.
For 40 consecutive years, the
church has raised at least $5,000 for
the donation of a Gift Ark, which
is enough to provide two water
buffalos, two cows, two sheep, two
goats, as well as bees, chicks, rabbits
and more. In 2020, the church’s
campaign raised its largest gift
yet, $7,300, to continue the streak.
One of the most exciting efforts
of the campaign was a drawing
of an ark designed by Marc Eaton, Heifer International. In 1971, represented the congregation in
a youth member of the church. then-Pastor Gary Marks, helped Honduras, to see Heifer’s work
Each time $1,000 was donated, initiate the first campaign to raise firsthand. She said the highlight
another tier on the ark drawing $5,000. Heifer had just moved of her trip was attending a
was added. Marc said the drawing its Northeast Office to Plymouth Passing on the Gift ceremony.
enabled him to combine his love and set up a livestock center there, There is no doubt that The
of animals and art while helping where 200 to 400 food-producing Church of the Pilgrimage will
raise money for Heifer. The themes animals were sent each year to continue to Fill the Ark every year
were ocean life, farm animals, developing countries to help end going forward. We are committed
woodland creatures and safari, with poverty and hunger. In 1984, that to Heifer International, and we
the top layer featuring some of office moved to Overlook Farm in want to do our part to share Heifer’s
Marc’s favorite animals, including Rutland, Massachusetts, where love throughout the world.
the opossum and red panda. it served Heifer until 2017.
The Church of the Pilgrimage More recently, the church’s Rosalee Sinn and Paula Caramello
has a long history of supporting newest pastor, Dr. Helen Nablo, Plymouth, Massachusetts
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN
WORLD ARK MAGAZINE?
Take our survey and let us know at HEIFER.ORG/WASURVEY
4 | SPRING 2021
SPRING 2021 table of contents
06 FOR THE RECORD
Renewing the Earth
Through Regenerative WE WANT
Agriculture
TO HEAR
08 GOOD LIFE
Mom’s Meatloaf: The
FROM
Ultimate Comfort Food YOU!
10 ASKED & ANSWERED Please send your
Food Advocate and Author
comments to
Speaks on U.S. Farming
worldark@heifer.org.
Include your name,
38 MIXED MEDIA city, and a telephone
Sacred Cow Documentary number or email
Locks Horns with address. Letters may
Beef Detractors be edited for length
and clarity, and
40 FIRST PERSON may be published
Young Professional online as well as in
print. Because of the
volume of mail we
receive, we cannot
respond to all letters.
PRESIDENT AND CEO World Ark is the educational, informational
Pierre Ferrari and outreach publication of Heifer
International. Its purpose is to further
PUBLISHER Heifer’s goals to end poverty and hunger
Chris Coxon while caring for the Earth and to raise
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF awareness of the issues involved in this
work throughout the world.
A’Melody Lee Jacobi
Heifer International is qualified as a
MANAGING EDITOR
1 WORLD AVENUE charitable organization under Section
Jason Woods 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
LITTLE ROCK,
AR 72202, USA WRITER Contributions to Heifer International are tax-
EMAIL: WORLDARK Bethany Ivie deductible to the extent permitted by law.
@HEIFER.ORG The FSC® Logo
DESIGNER & PRODUCTION © 2021, Heifer International. Passing identifies products
on the Gift® is a registered trademark which contain wood
Pooi Yin Chong
of Heifer International. from well managed
To change or remove forests certified in
an address, email CONTRIBUTORS
Opinions expressed in World Ark are those accordance with
donorservices@heifer.org Isa Ainemagara, Liz Ellis, of the authors and do not necessarily the rules of the
or call toll-free Amanda Granda, Paul Muliika, reflect the views of either the magazine Forest Stewardship
877.448.6437. Regeena Regmi or Heifer International. Council®.
HEIFER.ORG | 5
for the record FAC TS & FIGURES
RENEWING
THE EARTH
Regenerative
THROUGH Agriculture
COVER CROPPING
Fields are never fallow,
with diverse perennials
and cover crops protecting
and enriching the soil.
A NO-TILL APPROACH
Avoids tilling, a common practice that RAISING PIGS IN FORESTED AREAS
breaks up the soil to ready for planting crops, Forested pigs are healthier and
but also kills important microorganisms can revitalize overgrown areas
in the soil, releases stored carbon into by eating invasive species
the atmosphere and leads to erosion. other animals can’t digest.
TOGETHER, THESE REGENERATIVE PRACTICES ALLOW THE LAND TO REST AND RECUPERATE
NUTRIENTS WHILE PROMOTING MICROBIAL AND VEGETATIVE DIVERSITY. THAT LEADS TO:
HEALTHIER CROPS INCREASED ABSORPTION LESS INCREASED RESILIENCE TO
AND BETTER YIELDS OF RAINFALL EROSION DROUGHT AND FLOODING
Regenerative agriculture is a farming method that rehabilitates the land, leaving soil richer
and more productive and the ecosystem healthier. It is particularly effective at carbon
sequestration, which lessens atmospheric carbon, a big driver of climate change. Below
are some of the regenerative farming methods we use and teach to small-scale farmers at
Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. These methods mirror our projects around the world.
CREATING VEGETATION BUFFERS
These serve as natural barriers to
erosion and encourage wildlife habitats.
CROP DIVERSITY
Growing a variety of plants in the same
area nourishes the soil, as opposed to
monocropping, which is insufficient
to build healthy land, as it depletes the
earth and requires extractive practices
to maintain optimal plant growth.
NO CHEMICAL INPUTS HOLISTIC PLANNED GRAZING
Chemicals can lead Cows are moved through
to erosion, decreased a series of pastures to prevent
soil fertility and a lack overgrazing and promote
of biodiversity. plant diversity.
IN ADDITION TO HEALTHIER SOIL, PLANTS AND ANIMALS, REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE LEADS TO:
BETTER CARBON DRAWDOWN IMPROVED WATER CYCLES GREATER BIODIVERSITY
OR SEQUESTRATION When soil holds more carbon, Healthy, well-managed
With the help of grazing animals, healthy it’s also able to absorb and farmland means a healthier,
plants pull carbon out of the atmosphere and retain more water, leading to naturally functioning
into the soil, helping mitigate climate change restoration in the water cycles ecosystem overall
good life TIPS FOR BET TER LIVING
Mom’s Meatloaf:
The Ultimate Comfort Food
Filling, warming and easy to
whip up, this is the last meatloaf
recipe you’ll ever need.
By Liz Ellis, World Ark contributor
COMFORT FOOD, a delicious slice of perfect recipe to add a touch of home-
nostalgia that soothes your soul — for cooked goodness to your next Zoom
me, that's my mom's meatloaf. Of all the dinner party or small (and properly
dishes my mom made for our family precautious) family gathering.
growing up, this meatloaf was hands- As we reflect on 2020 and gather
down our favorite meal. Even with only ourselves to face new challenges and
three of us to enjoy it, the loaf pan of meet our resolutions in 2021, a taste
juicy, sweet and savory goodness almost of comfort is more than a reminder
never lasted long enough to become of good things. It’s an opportunity to
leftovers. And it’s not hard to understand nourish ourselves and be kind to the
why — Mom’s take on this classic recipe Earth. We may not be able to share a
is the dinner version of a warm hug. I’m meal with loved ones quite yet, but we
pretty sure it’s therapeutic. Featuring can reach out in ways that are available
simply seasoned beef and a tangy, sweet to us, and we can eat amazing food
tomato sauce, Mom’s meatloaf is the while we’re at it. n
8 | SPRING 2021PHOTOS BY PHILLIP DAVIS
MOM’S MEATLOAF RECIPE
Serves 6
LOAF INGREDIENTS SAUCE INGREDIENTS
• 2⁄3 cup breadcrumbs • ¼ cup ketchup
• 1 cup milk • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1½ pounds ground beef • 1 teaspoon mustard
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten • 3 tablespoons brown
When I worked as a chef at the former
• ¼ cup onion, minced finely sugar
Heifer Farm in Rutland, Massachusetts,
• 1 teaspoon salt
I delighted in sharing this meatloaf with
• ½ teaspoon sage, dried
crowds of hungry Heifer supporters.
• Dash of pepper
Because I used beef that had been
sustainably raised with room to roam
INSTRUCTIONS on Heifer Farm, it was extra special.
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Though my grass-fed beef comes from
2. Combine the loaf ingredients in a large bowl and mix Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative these
them together well, making sure to incorporate the egg days, I still like to add that extra-special
and the breadcrumbs thoroughly. Press the mixture touch when I make Mom’s meatloaf for
firmly into a greased loaf pan, and smooth out the top friends or family. If you can, I encourage
with the back of a spoon. you to do the same. Fortunately for you,
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients and Grass Roots Farmers’ Co-Op delivers.
spread evenly over the loaf. With a click of your mouse, you can not
4. Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 10 only support small-scale farmers in the
minutes prior to serving. United States, but you can also feel good
5. Plate up the piping-hot goodness alongside potatoes and by supporting a food system that betters
green peas or asparagus for a perfect and easy springtime the Earth, improves the soil, and treats
supper with soul. people and animals with respect. Go
ahead — do some good with your fork at
WATCH THE VIDEO AT HEIFER.ORG/MEATLOAF GRASSROOTSCOOP.COM.
HEIFER.ORG | 9asked & answered ROOTED IN R ACISM
FOOD ADVOCATE AND AUTHOR
Speaks on U.S. Farming
Interview by Pierre Ferrari, Heifer president and CEO
Leah Penniman loves being a farmer, but after
doing the job for more than two decades, she
has no illusions about it. “It’s a hard job,” she said.
“We don’t get to prance through the fields just
picking flowers in a white dress.”
In addition to farming, Penniman is a mother,
soil steward and food justice activist, as well
as the author of Farming While Black, the
first comprehensive how-to guide for aspiring
African-heritage growers to reclaim their dignity
as agriculturists, a book she describes as a love
song for the land and her people.
In 2010, Penniman co-founded Soul Fire Farm
in Grafton, New York. With a mission to end
racism in the food system and reclaim ancestral
connections to the land, Soul Fire provides
farmer training for Black and Brown people, a
subsidized farm food distribution program, anti-
racism training, and organizing toward equity in
the food system. Penniman and Soul Fire Farm
have been recognized by the Soros Equality
Fellowship, Fulbright Program, Grist 50 and
James Beard Leadership Award, among others.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LE AH PENNIMAN
Penniman chatted with Heifer International
President and CEO Pierre Ferrari about anti-
racism, food apartheid, soil health and farming
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Excerpts from
their conversation, which is part of Heifer’s
ongoing live chats, follow. The full discussion is
available at www.heifer.org/leahpenniman.
10 | SPRING 2021PIERRE FERRARI: How do does it take to really become They’re realizing that we have TOP RIGHT
Leah Penniman
organizations think about an anti-racist society? And out a whole history of policies that (right) and
how to become anti-racist of that, we built an action step we affectionately term “white her children,
organizations? guide. We built a training, which affirmative action,” things like Emet Vitale-
Penniman (left)
you can find on our website. the Homestead Act and the and Neshima
LEAH PENNIMAN: Essentially I think we’re dealing with GI Bill, that hugely benefited Vitale-Penniman
(middle), hill
you’re asking, “How do we undo a reckoning right now, where white people and didn’t benefit potatoes at Soul
500 years of white supremacy people who previously were people of color. And again, it Fire Farm.
and colonialism, and all of its unaware, for whatever reason, exacerbated a wealth and access
associated forces?” And so that racism is a pillar of our gap. In order to have a fair
there’s no three easy steps. society are now realizing society and a level playing field,
There’s no quarterly returns. that. And realizing that a lot there are resources that really
We’re really talking about deep of things were taken. The need to be given back. I think
work. And it’s something that land was actually taken from that sometimes when we talk
we’ve worked really hard as an Indigenous people, and then about racial equity, we get stuck
organization at Soul Fire Farm stolen all over again from Black in the diversity conversation.
to figure out how to help the and Brown people, especially And I’m not saying that
field in that regard. We spent in the early 1900s. They’re diversity is not important,
some time interviewing over realizing that there’s a whole lot diversifying your board and
500 different Black- and Brown- of unpaid wages that are due, your staff. But fundamentally,
led organizations and farms and then that’s compounded change is going to involve a
with that very question. What itself into a major wealth gap. shift of resources and power.
HEIFER.ORG | 11asked & answered ROOTED IN R ACISM
How does anti-racism
intersect with food access?
That’s a really big question.
We did write a guide for
farmers who are interested in
making their food accessible
to low-income people. It’s
called Sowing the Seeds of
Food Justice. You can find
it on the soulfirefarm.org
publications page. It’s free,
and it talks about how to
stay financially viable while
making your food accessible.
I will talk about strategies
that Soul Fire Farm has used
because, obviously, we have
a food justice mission. One
is for our vegetables, we’ve
used what’s called a sliding-
scale CSA. And I want to shout
out Black farmer Booker T. I was struck by the use
Whatley for inventing the CSA, of the phrase “food
or Community Supported apartheid” in your book.
Agriculture, which at the How did you come to it?
time was called the Clientele Well, Karen Washington,
Membership Club. It’s basically who I think you got to talk to
a subscription service where recently, she’s the one who
you pay either upfront or on taught me that term. She’s a
a regular basis, and then get mentor of mine, a wonderful
a weekly share of vegetables, Black farmer at Rise and Root
meats, fruits, eggs, right? We Farm and the founder of the
allocate about half the shares Black Urban Growers network.
to people who are middle And she corrected me when
income, and they’re paying a I used the term “food desert,”
little more than market value. which the government uses
And about half for people to define a census tract that
who are low income, who is low income and where it’s
are paying less than market a distance to a supermarket.
value. So it shakes out, right? But, of course, a desert
That’s one model that we’ve is a natural ecosystem. It’s
used. In the time of COVID, this phenomenon that arises
we’ve actually had such an beautifully, really, out of
increase in food insecurity in the whole climatic shifts of
our area that we have shifted the planet. There’s nothing
so that we’re actually, this year, natural about a whole bunch
giving away 100% of our food. of people not having enough
12 | SPRING 2021to eat, and Black and Brown
folks, in particular, being “There’s nothing natural about a whole
disproportionately impacted
bunch of people not having enough
by diabetes, heart disease and
other diet-related illnesses. to eat, and Black and Brown folks, in
That is a human-created particular, being disproportionately
system. And it is connected
impacted by diabetes, heart disease
to a history of housing
segregation and redlining and and other diet related illnesses.
divestment from communities. That is a human-created system.”
So apartheid is really more
appropriate and also more
hopeful. A desert cannot be How has Soul Fire Farm farm that was able to shift
defeated. Apartheid is human- adapted in terms of all the all of our production to free
created, and it can be undone. disruption we’ve been doorstep delivery of food
So I think the name also gives seen since the beginning for people within a matter
us a sense of directionality in of the pandemic? of weeks, which is amazing,
terms of how we’re going to I feel proud of our team for we’re also an advocacy and
deal with it. There’s nothing how nimble we’ve been able education organization. And
inevitable about it, right? to be. In addition to being a so people started reaching
out to us saying, “How do we
grow our own food?” [and]
“Can you support us?” And
we ramped up our Soul Fire
in the City home gardens
program, which usually only
has a few garden builds a year,
to almost 50 so far this year.
People who received a garden
build along with the plants,
the tools, the materials, the
training, the network of other
gardeners to connect with.
We train thousands of TOP
new Black and Brown farmers Penniman uses
aluminum foil
every year. We shifted a lot of
collars to protect
that programming online for the tender
this year because we couldn’t stems of the
hot peppers
meet in person and so forth. she’s growing.
I think that both in terms of
BOTTOM
our farm but also in terms of
Soul Fire Farm,
being a small organization located in
that’s really connected to our Grafton, New
York, works to
community, we’re able to end racism in the
adapt and respond in ways food system and
reclaim ancestral
that met folks’ stated and connections
immediate needs. to the land.
HEIFER.ORG | 13asked & answered ROOTED IN R ACISM
Is localness important?
Where are you on that “There’s a need to have really resilient
dimension of the work food systems. And one of the great
that we’re talking about?
I mean, I think local is
advantages to local, agroecological,
extremely important among small-scale, diversified food systems is
other important things, right? they’re quite nimble and resilient.”
And I think, in the start of the
pandemic, the brittleness of
the food system became so is they’re quite nimble and about a local food system, its
apparent. There’s just not a lot resilient. If the farmers market resilience and adaptation.
of slack in our supply chains closes, that’s okay because we At the same time, is there
in the industrial food system. know our customers, and we a place for international fair
If one thing goes wrong, you can quickly set up a farm stand trade? For my Haitian family
see this domino effect and and do no contact delivery. to be able to send moringa
suddenly there’s no meat on And we know the school down for our tooth powders and
the shelves and people are the street, and they need some their mangoes up here for our
dumping milk and burying lettuce for their free lunches, smoothies? Absolutely. Should
produce, and folks aren’t able and we can do that. We saw that adhere to standards of
to get their basic needs met. small farms being able to adapt ecological care, as well as
There’s a need to have really and fill in needs locally, whereas rights for workers? Absolutely.
resilient food systems. And these big industrial food So there’s a place, I think, for
one of the great advantages to chains were absolutely unable nonlocal and international. But
local, agroecological, small- to cope. I think that is one of do we absolutely need to make
scale, diversified food systems the most important things sure that we have a strong, local,
resilient food system? Of course.
Otherwise, we’re not going to
make it for another generation.
I know you talk about soil
quite a bit. It’s part of the
reason for farming, right?
I’m really into soil farming,
personally. Yeah. So taking
a little walk back in history,
within just one generation of
taking the plow to the Great
Plains, European settlers
burned up or oxidized half of
the organic matter in the soil,
which hasn’t been put back,
right? And the organic matter,
for those who aren’t science
nerds, this is the carbon-
based compounds, the life
of the soil. It’s the food for all
the microorganisms. It’s a
14 | SPRING 2021proxy for soil health and soil That’s our duty, that’s our now 12%, which are precolonial LEFT
A view from
biodiversity. And of course, legacy. And so we do that at levels of organic matter.
Soul Fire Farm.
when you release carbon from Soul Fire. We farm [using] Afro- Here, you put your hand
the soil, you put it up into the Indigenous ancestral practices into the soil, and you pull up RIGHT
Produce from
atmosphere. So you see the These are the practices of a fistful of earthworms and this harvest at
first blips in the anthropogenic the Ovambo people, in terms nematodes and countless Soul Fire Farm
was distributed
atmospheric CO2 in the 1800s of raised beds, the practices bacteria and fungal mycelium,
at no cost to
with the tilling of the Great of Dr. George Washington and the hawk flies over, and the doorsteps
Plains. And my wonderful Carver with cover crops and the sparrow is nesting, and of local families
living under
coworker Larissa Jacobson Cleopatra’s vermicomposting. the monarch butterflies are what Penniman
talks about how the work of So we’re taking our ancestral landing. There’s this whole refers to as “food
apartheid.”
regenerative farmers is actually practices and watching that wonderful biodiversity that
to call that carbon and call organic matter level, when we is actually part of what we’re
that life back into the soil. first [got] here, at 4%, go to 5, 6, 7, doing here on the farm. n
HEIFER.ORG | 15MEET FOOD HEROES IN UGANDA, ECUADOR, NEPAL AND THE UNITED STATES
Strength in the Face
of Adversity:
Farmers and Local Food
Systems Adapt to Meet the
Challenges of COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many farmers and others
working in food systems saw their sources of income change
radically or even vanish overnight, as much of the world
locked down to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Although the challenges presented by the
pandemic were — and still are — extensive, Heifer
International project participants responded
with resolve across the 21 countries in
which we work. With access to the
right resources, farmers successfully
shifted their way of working and
took advantage of opportunities
to reconnect to markets.
The following stories are just
a handful of the inspiring
examples we’ve seen in the
last year. From Uganda to
Ecuador, Nepal to right
here in the United States,
small-scale farmers and
entrepreneurs working
with Heifer show
resilience in the face
of crisis while holding
the solution to feeding
their communities.
LEFT
Pilar Chamorro, holds a basket
of food in Quito, Ecuador.
(Photo by Isadora Romero)
HEIFER.ORG | 17Zooming to
Brighter Futures
UGANDA
in Uganda
By Isa Ainemagara, Paul Muliika and
Bethany Ivie, photos by James Akena
NOTHING CAN STOP LEAH AMONGI,
not even a global pandemic.
Amongi is a 28-year-old single
mother who lives and works in Uganda’s
Dokolo District. “It is not all that easy to
find employment [here],” said Amongi.
And that’s putting it lightly. With more
than 70% of its citizens between 18 and
30 years of age, Uganda has one of the
youngest populations in the world. It
also has one of the highest rates of youth
unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa.
With the help of Heifer Uganda, Amongi
is working to give her peers the vital skills
they need to change that statistic, and she
isn’t letting anything stand in her way.
In 2019, Amongi joined Heifer
Uganda’s Learn for Agribusiness project
and was trained as a community agri-
input entrepreneur. Through the project,
Heifer Uganda is working to help young
people, many of whom were unable to
complete formal educations, to earn
a living income through farming. It’s large sessions at 13 local farmer field
Amongi’s job to teach participants the schools in Dokolo. Then came the
essential skills they need to build a pandemic. The first case of COVID-19
sustainable and profitable business in in Uganda was reported in March 2020.
agriculture. Her lessons include weed Shortly thereafter, all Ugandan borders
and pest control, sowing good quality and points of entry were closed, and
seeds, and line spacing, to name a President Yoweri Museveni ordered a
few. Fortunately, that’s her passion. “I strict countrywide lockdown to limit the
joined the Learn for Agribusiness project spread of the virus. With a stop in public
because I am inspired to work with young transportation, a dusk-till-dawn curfew,
people participating in agriculture,” said and a ban on weekly markets and group
Amongi. “I love the work I do because gatherings, the lockdown kept Uganda’s
it enables me to share my technical COVID-19 case count low but made life
agricultural skills, which can make a extremely difficult for citizens, especially
difference in the lives of the community.” rural farmers.
Before COVID-19 struck, Amongi As restrictions eased and boda bodas,
shared her expertise by facilitating or motorcycle taxis, were allowed to
18 | SPRING 2021TOP
Community
agri-input
entrepreneur
Leah Amongi
rides her
motorcycle to
help farmers
who have been
isolated by
the COVID-19
pandemic.
BOTTOM
Leah Amongi
passes hand
sanitizer to a
student during
one of her
agricultural
training sessions.
The gathering is
small to adhere
to lockdown
guidelines.
I love the work
I do because it
enables me to share
my technical
agricultural skills,
which can make
a difference in
the lives of the
community.
— LEAH AMONGI
HEIFER.ORG | 19I have an obligation to serve even seeds, tools, irrigation equipment and
within times of hardship. I look at
fertilizers to farmers who are unable to
access them. It also helps her make the
it like a soldier on a battlefield. most of her time. Now, not only can she
reach more people than before, but she
— LEAH AMONGI can work closely with other extension
workers who are, likewise, working hard
operate again, Amongi hired drivers to to keep young farmers afloat during this
ferry her to farmers individually or in time of crisis.
groups of five or less. Before COVID-19, Amongi’s involvement with Heifer
Amongi paid 10,000 Ugandan shillings, Uganda allowed her to share her talents
or $2.70 per day, for a ride to and from and serve her community, and it’s given
the field. Today, these same rides have her opportunity for growth. “It has built
easily doubled in price. Unwilling to my capacity in so many ways, in getting
be gouged and even less willing to soft skills on how to communicate, how
leave farmers to fend for themselves, to mobilize the community and how to
Amongi bought a motorcycle of her interact with them,” she said. With these
own. “COVID-19 is here to stay, and we abilities, Amongi aspires to create and
cannot allow our farmers to starve,” she coordinate her own projects, similar to
said. “I have an obligation to serve even Learn for Agribusiness, that help young
BOTTOM
Leah Amongi within times of hardship. I look at it like Ugandan farmers who are struggling
hosts a training a soldier on a battlefield.” to make a living. It’s safe to say that,
for a small group
of farmers near Amongi’s new ride allows her to when she’s ready, there will be no better
Dokolo, Uganda. deliver critical farming supplies like person for the job. n
20 | SPRING 2021Faced with COVID-19 Pandemic,
Ecuador’s Working Class Keeps
ECUADOR
Pedaling
By Jason Woods and Amanda Granda
Photos by Isadora Romero
WHEN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC others in need and created a solidarity
REACHED QUITO, Ecuador, in March network to coordinate donations through
2020, it hit the city’s barrios populares, or social media and then distribute them.
low-income communities, the hardest. “We made weekly purchases to
But in one barrio popular, a group of put together food kits containing 11
resilient young entrepreneurs supported products, and we delivered them to the
by Heifer is doing the legwork necessary La Changa Cultural Center,” Salcedo
to distribute fresh, healthy food to their said. “In the case of older adults who, due
community while earning an income. to health conditions, could not leave
Karen Salcedo taught affordable ballet their homes, we took their kits to them.”
classes to children and managed the About 90 families received food
TOP
Karen Salcedo,
café for La Changa Art Collective. When kits, but as the pandemic wore on,
a member of the coronavirus outbreak shut down the program became unsustainable.
La Changa, those opportunities, she found herself Around that time, Heifer Ecuador
distributes fresh
produce to with an even more meager budget, contacted La Changa with an idea: to
customers in the accepting donations of food and money. earn money delivering fresh food from
south of Quito
every Thursday
Salcedo and other members of La farms to doorsteps in the south of Quito
via bicycle. Changa shared those resources with via bicycle.
HEIFER.ORG | 21The bicycle
was and is our main
means of transport.
It allows us to save
money, exercise and
be respectful with
the environment.
— KAREN SALCEDO
Ecuador recruited energetic young
people like Salcedo and other members
of La Changa to manage the process.
“The bicycle was and is our main
means of transport,” Salcedo said. “It
allows us to save money, exercise and
TOP After a national lockdown took place be respectful with the environment.”
In Quito, Susana
Guasque (left)
to curb the spread of COVID-19, Quito’s Once La Changa decided to be part of
and others put mayor contacted Heifer Ecuador. With the delivery, Heifer Ecuador supported
together baskets public transportation systems at a the group with seed capital, training,
of food that will
be delivered to standstill and families staying at home, bicycle trailers and personal protective
customers. access to food became a challenge, equipment.
RIGHT
especially for those with few resources. “This economic activity has allowed
Heifer Ecuador “He said, we know you work with us to sustain ourselves collectively and
provides personal producers, we need your help to support individually, as the pandemic caused
protective
equipment and vulnerable populations. And we need many people to lose their jobs,” Salcedo
bicycle trailers to to keep people at home,” said Rosa said. Income from deliveries is pooled,
groups in Quito so
they can deliver
Rodriguez, director of Heifer Ecuador. with 80% distributed equally among
fresh food safely Rodriguez’s team and the groups of those who worked and 20% kept in a
and efficiently.
farmers they work with quickly put group fund.
their heads together to come up with That fund, as well as the initial support
a system that is affordable for nearly Heifer Ecuador provided, is allowing the
every family and safe for everyone. group to start its own bicycle messenger
The process, which is a part of the service called Chasqui Pedal. “We don’t
Future of Food program, starts in the have many orders yet, but we’re still in
rural communities outside of Quito every the promotional stage,” Salcedo said.
Wednesday, when farmers harvest fresh Every Thursday, though, is reserved
produce from their farms. Early Thursday for Heifer’s food deliveries. Starting
morning, the products are delivered to at 7 a.m., Salcedo delivers baskets
one of eight collection centers, where comprised of 20 different products,
they are checked for quality and packed from fruits and vegetables to cereals
for shipping to families in the capital. to honey. At $17 each, the baskets are
The food is transported into the city in set at an intentionally low price point
vehicles that are regularly cleaned and to reach more consumers, especially
sprayed to avoid contamination. To those surviving on meager incomes. In
complete the delivery process, Heifer Ecuador, the delivery service is the only
22 | SPRING 2021HEIFER.ORG | 23
TOP one of its kind — naturally produced “We want the distribution of
Food from rural food, direct from the producer. So far, agroecological baskets to increase in
producers in
Cotopaxi is Salcedo has delivered about 80 baskets order to generate more sources of work
collected and herself, but she has not been able to for the residents in our sector,” Salcedo
prepared for
transportation
keep track of the number of kilometers said.
to Quito. she has covered. That is Heifer Ecuador’s plan, as
“In Quito, there are many steep well. So far, more than 10,000 baskets
streets where you put your physique to have been sold in the cities of Quito,
the test,” Salcedo said. “When you put Cuenca, Santa Elena and Machala,
in that effort, you also understand the and Heifer Ecuador supports a similar
importance of eating in a diverse and endeavor on Galapagos’ island of
healthy way. Everything is linked to San Cristobal. Overall, the deliveries
When you
each other: eating healthy, exercising generate almost $70,000 a month. As
and working in community.” She added long as customer support stays strong,
put in that that working with Heifer Ecuador is
gratifying because it aligns with one
the service will continue to grow.
In the south part of Quito, Salcedo
effort, you also of La Changa’s basic principles — the says customer support has been great.
understand the
right to eat healthy and valuing the work “Some of our clients are people who made
of farmers who harvest those foods. donations when the pandemic started, so
importance of To help promote and sell products, the
group is responsible for a Facebook page.
they already know us and always support
us,” she said. “When we started with the
eating in a “Thanks to Heifer’s support, we learned to deliveries in the neighboring sectors, the
diverse and
manage that page and generate content, response was also good. Many people are
and we continue to learn,” Salcedo said. surprised and congratulate us when they
healthy way. Members of the group also learned
about best business practices, account
see us arriving by bicycle, because in
Quito there are streets that not even cars
— KAREN SALCEDO management and price adjustments. go up, but we do.” n
24 | SPRING 2021The Women of Bihani Dairy Give
Back to Community, Adapt to
Pandemic Changes
NEPAL
By Jason Woods and Regeena Regmi
Photos by Joe Tobiason
FOR MANY YEARS, TULSI THAPA
FELT LIKE SHE WAS ALONE. Like
We realized that
most women in Kopuwa, Nepal, we couldn’t work
singlehandedly,
her husband did not allow her to
leave home often, and she was
dependent on him for income.
But she was far from alone — she
that we had to
found five other women in her work together.
community who felt similarly and
— TULSI THAPA
wanted to do something about it. After
starting to work with Heifer Nepal,
Thapa and her neighbors formed a our sisters. It unites us.” Soon after, with
BOTTOM
The leadership
group dedicated to sharing labor and 64 savings groups formed, the women
team for Bihani saving money to invest in themselves unified further by starting a cooperative,
Dairy stands and the community. Then they with Thapa serving as chairperson.
outside their
facility several helped other women do the same. To put back savings, the women
months before “We realized that we couldn’t work needed a steady source of income. “We
the COVID-19
pandemic
singlehandedly, that we had to work should become entrepreneurs, we
reached Nepal. together,” Thapa said. “We got to know realized,” Thapa said. The cooperative
HEIFER.ORG | 25TOP LEFT assessed the needs of their area and dairy first began operation, it processed
Bihani member
noted that while many farmers owned and sold paneer, yogurt and ghee in
Mina Kandel
demonstrates the dairy cows and buffalo, there was addition to milk. At the suggestion of
rickshaw used to nowhere to store the milk. That meant a Heifer technician, Bihani added kulfi,
sell ice cream in
the community. much of the milk went to waste, and or ice cream, to its list of products. The
farmers generally sold their milk to climate of Nepal’s flatlands, where
TOP RIGHT
traders, who paid much less than market summers can get as hot as 108 degrees
Mina Ale
distributes ice value. So, with the support of Heifer Fahrenheit, created a loyal customer
cream outside Nepal, the cooperative worked with base for the product, which was
the Bihani facility
late last year. the municipality to convert a vegetable previously scarce in the area. Now
collection center into Bihani Dairy. Bihani kulfis are sold at local markets,
BOTTOM RIGHT
The dairy started out collecting just in a nearby school and via rickshaw.
Since the
beginning of 150 liters of milk a day, and the women
One reason for the
the COVID-19 traveled to each farm to convince
pandemic, the
women of Bihani farmers to sell their milk to Bihani.
Dairy have
been taking
But after only four years, Bihani’s cooperative’s success
production increased to 1,850 liters,
the necessarily
precautions to and now the farmers come to them. is their adaptability.
keep their business “Many people didn’t trust us since
running safely.
it was an exclusively women-led Adaptability became even more
business,” said Mina Ale, cooperative crucial in March 2020, when the
manager. “But we faced this challenge. COVID-19 pandemic led to a nationwide
Now people respect us.” Competition lockdown. Nepal’s Lumbini Province,
is an issue now, she said. After seeing where Bihani is located, was one of
the success of Bihani, three other the regions affected the most. The
groups have opened dairies. cooperative quickly adopted social
One reason for the cooperative’s distancing measures so they did not
success is their adaptability. When the miss a single day of milk collection,
26 | SPRING 2021although they had to reduce milk
intake to 1,200 liters daily. They also
encouraged farmers to make curd
and clarified butter to reduce any
excess milk and worked with local
authorities to ensure their farmers
could procure feed and forage for
their livestock during the lockdown.
As a social enterprise, Bihani
Dairy invests most of the money
it earns back into the community,
with the rest reserved for further
improvements for the business. Before
the pandemic, the group put together
a fund to financially support families
who lost a loved one and supported
new mothers by creating a savings
account for their newborn children.
Recently, the group used some of
their funds to create both low-interest
loans for struggling farmers and a
contribution of 10,000 rupees, or $84,
to the municipality’s COVID response
fund. Bihani also connected with other
like-minded institutions in the area to
form the COVID Control Group, which
raised funds for relief and helped
establish a 20-bed quarantine facility.
“We are exploring creating a high-
volume storing system so we don’t
have to suffer like we did this time
due to COVID-19,” Thapa said. “We are
also in the process of diversifying the
milk into various products in a larger
volume so that milk does not have to
go to waste. We are hopeful that the
future holds better prospects for us.”
Part of that future includes expanding
the scope of Bihani Dairy. As of now,
the majority of milk collected is sold to
a larger regional dairy. The women of
PHOTO COURTESY OF HEIFER NEPAL
Bihani are preparing their facility to take
on more of a processing role, and they
are also creating a brand for Bihani Dairy
to then market products in a wider range.
In Nepali, “bihani” means “morning,” and
that imagery is included in the logo.
“Since it was just starting, we named
the dairy Bihani,” Thapa said. “It’s also
a sign of good things beginning.” n
HEIFER.ORG | 27Cypress Valley
U.S.
Upholds High Ethical
Standards Despite
Pandemic in the U.S.
By Liz Ellis
Photos by Philip Davis
ANDY SHAW, OWNER AND CO- alone, 239 large-scale processing
FOUNDER OF CYPRESS VALLEY MEAT facilities reported a total of 16,233 cases
COMPANY in Clinton, Arkansas, is of COVID-19 among workers, with 86
shining a light on how to process meat COVID-related deaths. By September
safely and humanely, even in the face of 2020, 56 plants around the country were
a pandemic. As the sole meat processor still closed due to COVID-19 outbreaks,
for Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative, further straining supply chains.
which was formed in partnership with While large-scale meat plants struggle
Heifer USA, Cypress Valley plays a vital to control outbreaks and continue to feed
role in the food system, linking small- the country, that has not been the case
scale farmers and consumers. for Cypress Valley, which continues to
But processing and packaging meat operate safely despite the pandemic. The
is a technical, complicated task, and it’s secret to this public health achievement?
not always done properly. The U.S. meat Turns out, it starts with treating your
processing industry has come under workers well.
intense scrutiny during the coronavirus Shaw believes that when employees
pandemic. Cramped working conditions are prioritized and treated like family,
and crowded floors have made it more they take pride in every aspect of their
difficult for many of the country’s meat work, including health and safety
processors to keep their employees protocols, which are essential in the meat
COVID-free. In April and May of 2020 processing business. And employees
28 | SPRING 2021even go out of their way to improve
upon them — for example, if a customer
forgets a mask during a Cypress Valley
pick-up order, they are provided with
masks, gloves and other protective gear
to use and take home. This is because
an employee noticed customers weren’t
always prepared, so he texted Shaw to
suggest the improvement long after he
had clocked out from his shift.
Cody Harper, assistant plant
manager at Natural State Processing,
which is owned and operated by
Cypress Valley Meat, credits the business’
success to Shaw’s leadership. “It comes
from the top,” Harper said. “The ethics
and attitude of the leadership … and
Andy’s eye for talent have built a team
of superstars who love their jobs.” Kerry
Harrington, processing coordinator at
When employees are prioritized and
Natural State, added that a company’s treated like family, they take pride in every
aspect of their work, including health and
culture can make all the difference.
“Plucking tail feathers for the right
person is what showed me I didn’t want
to become a surgeon,” Harrington said.
safety protocols, which are essential in
It isn’t just dedication to providing the meat processing business.
a healthy, safe and happy environment
for the frontline plant workers who
package our food that makes Cypress In fact, Shaw thinks more people TOP LEFT
The Cypress Valley
Valley unique. The company respects will see the value of smaller businesses
Meat Company
all beings who enter its doors, whether like Cypress Valley on the heels of the processing facility in
it’s the animals, farmers, plant workers pandemic. “Coming out of this, we will Clinton, Arkansas.
or customers, and that’s something see a more decentralized food system,” LEFT
that has held strong throughout the said Shaw. Andy Shaw, CEO of
COVID-19 crisis. A decentralized food system is one Cypress Valley Meat
Company.
that relies on small, more localized
businesses to grow, package and ship TOP RIGHT
Employees at
food. While large-scale producers and Cypress Valley Meat
processors are easily grounded by Company process
disaster, a network of smaller businesses and package chicken
for Grass Roots
can be more resilient. For example, if Farmer’s Co-Op.
one is forced to suspend operations for
BOTTOM RIGHT
a time, other local processors could step Cody Harper,
in to fill the gaps and keep the supply assistant plant
manager at Natural
chain moving. Lifting up and embracing
State, which is owned
more direct, regionalized supply chains and operated by
could help to strengthen the entire U.S. Cypress Valley, poses
for a photo on the job.
food system, and under Shaw’s direction,
Cypress Valley is building a model for the
rest of the country to emulate. n
HEIFER.ORG | 29LEFT Rudra Pun and Ganga Gharti, in their newly constructed home in Rihar, Nepal. RIGHT Although the new house is not yet complete, Gharti and Pun already feel more comfortable than they did in their old house.
Rebuilding in the
Shadow of Conflict
BY JASON WOODS, WORLD ARK MANAGING EDITOR
PHOTOS BY JOE TOBIASON
Conscripted by Maoist rebels As a reprieve from an arduous day of
work in the stifling heat of southern
at a young age, Ganga Gharti Nepal, Ganga Gharti and her husband,
and Rudra Pun spent years Rudra Pun, sit in the corridor of their
nearly finished home. “It always has a
tangled up in the Nepalese breeze like this,” Pun said. “Even if it’s
peak summer, even if it gets really hot,
Civil War against their will. we don’t use a fan.”
The new house is a significant
But when the opportunity upgrade from the old, a smaller thatched-
finally arose, the two ran roof house, which termites eventually
infested. Now, Gharti and Pun live in a
away from that life, together. two-story, wood-and-stone house with
four bedrooms and a sturdy roof. But
What came next presented enjoyment of the new home doesn’t last
a new challenge, one that long this day, not with two children to
raise and a thriving goat business to run.
they met head on with In 2012, Gharti received a couple of
goats from Heifer Nepal. After taking
the help of Heifer Nepal. care of them for six months, she
HEIFER.ORG | 31TOP thought, “We had to look after From 1996 to 2006, a civil recruited both Gharti and Pun.
Pun and Gharti,
in their backyard
the goats whether we reared war swallowed rural Nepal, and “It’s quite fresh,” Pun said,
garden behind one goat or two goats or more.” families were caught between “and I would never ever want
the house. So why not turn it into state forces and Maoist rebels. those days to return again.”
RIGHT
a business? During the 10-year period,
Pun walks down Now, Gharti and Pun 18,000 people died in the CHILDREN OF WAR
the path near his
have about 55 goats, and they conflict, and, according to a In the latter part of the 1990s,
home to tend to
the family’s goats. spend the better part of their 2006 article in The Guardian, an offshoot of the Communist
days raising and caring for Nepal also led the world in Party of Nepal launched what
them. It’s hard work, but it’s number of daily abductions. they called a “people’s war” to
a far cry from the difficulties It was during the middle of overthrow the constitutional
they both faced early in life. the civil war that Maoists monarchy and establish
32 | SPRING 2021CHINA
NEPAL
Rihar
Mt. Everest
Kathmandu
INDIA
[The memory] is quite fresh, and I would
never ever want those days to return again.”
– RUDRA PUN
Pun said. “I am somebody who propaganda music for
was almost killed. The police recruitment purposes. “We
thought I was dead.” Eventually, used to make songs,” she
Pun felt he had to choose a side said, “which would suit that
to survive. particular moment. We also
“I was trapped between had to learn the songs, and
the Nepalese army and the we had to teach people.”
Maoists,” he said. Forced Pun oriented new recruits.
to make a decision, Pun “It was not strenuous work,”
acquiesced to Maoist he said. “But at times we
recruitment. “It’s better to get had to carry arms, at times
mad than die,” he said. we had to carry bags.”
One of the strategies The insurgents moved
the Maoists employed was often, and when they did, it
recruiting children. According was by cover of darkness. Both
to human rights organizations, Pun and Gharti said traveling
the group recruited around throughout the night was
4,500 children, sometimes the most challenging part of
control of the country. Inspired by force. Other times, rebels their routine. “At the time of
by Chinese Communist recruited children for confrontation, we usually had
revolutionary Mao Zedong, the participation in “cultural to run away from places and
insurgents fought a guerilla war conservation activities” like protect ourselves,” Gharti said.
against police and the army in dancing or singing, or in the “We had to look for places where
the Nepalese countryside. Each name of education. But in we could be safe and protected.”
side routinely suspected the some instances, the roles of the Initially, Gharti bought
people living and farming in children would quickly shift to in to the message presented
those areas were siding with the battlefield. to her and her peers. But
the other. The Maoists forced Gharti over time, that faded. “They
“I got severely beaten by to join them when she was said … people like us should
police and insurgents both,” just 12 years old. She wrote contribute to the country, we
HEIFER.ORG | 33I feel like [our children’s lives] should be different.
I want them to have the education that fits the
generation that we’re in right now.”
– GANGA GHARTI
should sacrifice to the country. see friends of my age going to have been killed. So, we had
Since I lacked awareness at school and living a normal life. to stay for them as well.”
such a young age, I went. So, “I tried so many times to go But as both sides
for a year or two, I just went back home and study,” Gharti of the conflict neared a
along with the flow. But I said. “But the organization comprehensive peace
realized there [were] so many did not allow us to do so.” agreement, and as international
confrontations, and I didn’t Pun added, “[Our families] human rights organizations
get to meet my relatives or looked for us. But our families began holding more sway in
family members … and I could considered us dead. Many the country, it seemed the
people disappeared, and Maoists lost some of the power
they thought we [had too].” they held over Gharti and Pun.
During their time with the The two took the
Maoists, Pun and Gharti met opportunity to escape from the
and felt a bond. They agreed Maoists and start fresh. “You
on their desire to leave the can call it marriage or really any
rebels, but it didn’t feel like sort of agreement,” Gharti said,
that was a viable option. “but we just left, together.”
“If we had quit the
organization, then there would A NEW LIFE
be a threat to our parents,” For six months, Pun and Gharti
Pun said. “They would have moved around while working
been abducted; they would in a paper factory and avoiding
34 | SPRING 2021You can also read
