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Honduran Women Pass on the Gift against the Odds

When Juana Francisca Montes, and a group of 14 peasant women from the Honduran village La Coronada, began to dream of owning land and raising dairy cattle, few thought they could do it. “We were given the worst, driest and most rocky land on the hacienda,” said Juana. Beyond the poor land they had to work with many of the men in the village said that “the women won’t be able to handle the cows.” Despite the challenges, these women have proven that they can rise above the odds. Last year, within just two days of International Women’s Day, Juana and her group of dairy farmers participated in a Passing on the Gift ceremony to give another women’s group heifers to begin their own dairy herd. Appropriately the group receiving the heifer had named themselves “Luz en Mi Camino” (Light on My Path).

“Look at us now,” Juana said, “our groups have over one hundred cows and we are giving calves to new groups in this passing the gift ceremony.” Juana’s group is now working with Heifer to form a dairy cooperative to collect milk and add value to it through cheese making and cream processing. In a place once controlled by huge haciendas (plantations) where few peasants had access to land or income apart from the estates, these women are gaining independence and raising their quality of life through the gift of cattle and education. As Juana said after Passing on the Gift of a heifer, women in Honduras have “come a long way.”

Last year, a Heifer donor traveled to Honduras and visited with groups like Juana’s, seeing first hand how Heifer’s work is ending hunger and poverty. This supporter was moved by the women she saw breaking through traditional gender barriers to gain independence and improve the lives of their families with increased income and improved nutrition.

Inspired by these Honduran women this donor set up a matching gift to fund projects in Honduras like the women’s dairy cooperative that will enable 2,385 families in Honduras to gain food security. We only have a little to go before we completely fund this project. Please give today to celebrate the lives of women like Juana who are lifting themselves out of poverty with the help of women everywhere.