Post on 06-Sep-2018
Animals and Food Security: Service Learning in RuralRomania - 2010
Purdue partnered with Heifer International-Romania on a sustainable development project in rural Romania. This was an opportunity to
work in international agriculture across disciplines AND make a difference – for credit!
Heifer Project, Romania www.heifer.ro
Upper-class students must be interested in enabling families to overcome poverty, make lasting improvements in their quality of life and achieve self-reliance.
By partnering with Heifer International-Romania, students learned about sustainable development through the application of agricultural ecology, animal management, and agribusiness.
Animals and Food Security: Service Learning in Rural Romania
Projects included animal husbandry (cattle, pigs, horses, poultry, small ruminants, etc.), facility design and construction, efficient use of resources and youth and adult education.
Animals and Food Security: Service Learning in Rural Romania
ANSC 495 Animals and Food Security: Service Learning in Rural Romania
Asociatia Judeteană a Crescătorilor de Păsări si Animale
Vata de Jos
In Vata de Jos our class -•Split up and stayed with local families•Helped local farmers•Completed community service in conjunction with Heifer International
After a 3 day orientation and a trip to Deva to buy boots, our class traveled to Vata de Jos for the
SEEINGpart of our trip.
What is Heifer InternationalHeifer International gives gifts of cattle, sheep, rabbits, honeybees, pigs, llamas, water buffalo, heifers, chicks,
ducks, goats, geese, other regionally appropriate livestock, as well as tree seedlings. As of 2006, these animals and plants have been distributed in more than 125 countries around the globe. Each gift perpetuates
Heifer's interest in sustainability.
HEIFER CORNERSTONESFOR JUST AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Passing On the Gift
Accountability
Sharing and Caring
Sustainability and Self-reliance
Improved Animal Management
Nutrition and Income
Genuine Need and Justice
Gender and Family Focus
Improving the Environment
Full Participation
Training and Education
Spirituality
PRINCIPLES OF GOOD DEVELOPMENT
•Participation of the people•Local ownership of the decision-making process •The commitment of local resources•The role of outside practitioners as facilitators of change•A belief in people's capacity to effect change if given opportunities by their structural environment •The value of indigenous knowledge•The conception of development as a "process" and not a series of "projects“--The Cornerstones Model - Values-Based Planning and Management, p 6, J. Aaker, J.
Shumaker, Heifer Project International, 1996
Heifer’s Development Philosophy
Development is not only about distributing inputs.It is also about building communities, producing
deeper level impact and transformation.
Focus on 3-Levels of Impact1. Ground level Impact- e.g., Increased
nutrition & income, Improved animal care and local environment, other physical achievements, etc.
2. Deeper level Impact- e.g., positive change at the personal level - values, attitude, behavior and practice (people transformation)
3. External Impact- e.g., Society (GO/NGOs) accepts and respects Heifer’s model and willingly follows the advice & requests (influencing policies and practices)
Home Stays We continued to learn about Romanian culture
by staying with Heifer participants who had received a gift from the organization
Each home hosted 3 American students and 1 Romania student, who served as a translator
Vorel & Zoreca“They took us in as family, but fed us like kings and queens”
Artificial Insemination on a cow
Brooke and Katie learning how to put a
chicken to sleep
Brooke, Amanda, Katie H, and Romanian student Paul
Marianna and Roxana
Making placintaAt the disco
Mariana and her husband with Nicole, Erin, Jennifer, and our Romanian
student Gabriel
We also helped milk the cows and the sheep at
our home stay
“We learned more from this stay than we
expected.”
Casa Para
Making chiorba On the way to cut hay
“We enjoyed traditional Romanian music with
every meal”
Shelby, Christina, Ashtin, and Romanian student Gabriella
Miguel & Carmen
“Best food of the trip”
Attended traditional Orthodox Church
Justin, Carolyn, Brandi and Romanian
student Iuditha
Brandi milking the family cow
Christi & Andrea
Kayla, Allison, Megan, and Romanian student Elena with
their family
“He said you didn’t even milk enough for breakfast”
Riding in the milk wagon
Posing with the flowers our host dad gave us
Elena & George
Helped plant a Paprika plot
“Elena was like a mother to us”
Craig, Katie, Aubrey, and Romanian student Oana
Aubrey with the family’s horse
Katie with the family’s horse
Equine CastrationLeft: Romanian student Elena helping the local veterinarian with the castration
Above: Dr. Russell helping restrain the stallion
Traditional Romanian Music & Dancing
Para and his band playing music for us
Learning traditional Romanian dances
•We learned about how rural families really conduct animal agriculture
•We learned about the culture and traditions from the community members
•We learned how to attempt to adjust and interact successfully in rural Romania
•We learned that there are close and wonderful families with great values in Vata de Jos
Thank You all!
Learning from Heifer Participants in Vata de Jos
On to Sighisoara…
After a week of learning Romania culture we headed to the city of
Sighisoara to site see, continue to bond as a group, and relax.
We said goodbye to Vata de Jos with a
community meeting, including a TV
interview, a farewell bonfire, and the celebration of
Craig’s birthday!