September 1, 2004
Give a goat!
This is a plea for money. Not, however, for myself. Randall at his weblog BWG — Adventures of a Big White Guy living in Hong Kong has twice before put together a group buy through Heifer Hong Kong of a goat or a flock of chickens for impoverished Chinese families. I gave both times and no fewer than eight families have had their lives improved through our joint effort. He's now doing it again.
When I say "impoverished Chinese families," I mean it. We in the United States don't know what poverty is. I grew up poor, for here, but my wife spent her childhood without enough to eat. My family always had a refrigerator; her family didn't have one until sometime in the mid 1980's. "Impoverished" in China means something different than it means in the United States. Essentially it means "starving" or something close to that.
Fortunately, helping is easy. A few dollars, a trivial sum for an American, is magnified by the exchange rate and again by the fact that the needs of these families are simple, and a goat or a flock of chickens can make a huge difference. My US$15 donation alone gets Randall 2.6 percent of the way to his goal. If 39 others contribute the same amount, he'll make it with room to spare.
Contribute, at least a few dollars. It's a trivial sum to you but it could make a really big difference to a family in China within just a week or two.
You can use this link to contribute, or use the Paypal button on Randall's site.
Either way, do it!