Empowering Women in Developing Nations

Written by Rebecca Di Tucci

According to the 2010 census, approximately 51% of the entire global population is female, yet women make up about 70% of the world’s poor. With population rising in developing nations, we need to look at how we can better empower women in rural agricultural enterprises. Women make up about 43% of the worlds agricultural labor force which includes more than just caring for livestock. Their daily duties also comprise of “producing agricultural crops, tending animals, processing and preparing food, working for wages in agricultural or other rural enterprises, collecting fuel and water, engaging in trade and marketing, caring for family members and maintaining their homes”. Investing in women in underdeveloped nations is crucial to the world economy as women make up approximately 40% of the world’s entire work force. Women’s empowerment and financial security translate directly to an improved living standard for many families in underdeveloped nations and that’s why Herd Heroes wants to invest in women in Haiti. 

As a country focused on rebuilding itself, Haiti needs to focus on empowering women to finish school and seek jobs. L’Azile, being a small rural city in Haiti, has very little opportunity for high paying jobs. Men often leave the community where jobs are scarce, or even the country, to find work to provide for their family. Women are often left to take over the agricultural work in the community and take care of their family.  Because of this, Herd Heroes plans to hire one women from L’Azile and train her to be a community animal health worker who will help the community improve the health and welfare of their livestock. This will provide a professional level job for a woman in L’Azile and also service the community. Our goal is to have this new hire become a role model for other women in the community who will in turn become successful livestock producers. 

It’s important to support women in the agricultural field, especially those from rural countries as they could drastically impact the food production level in developing nations. According to UN Women, “If women farmers had the same access to land, human capital and livestock as men, total agricultural output could increase by an estimated average of 4%”. With increased production, families would have more to eat, and would have to purchase less, ultimately stretching their wages. For a country that is still under reconstruction from its onslaught of natural disasters, it’s important for community members to come together to rebuild the economy through industries that inhabitants have already familiarized themselves with. It’s especially important to empower women to get an education and take on larger roles within the industry. 

There is a strong positive correlation between women’s continued education and a decrease of infant mortality rate. In fact, for every year that a woman continues education, the child mortality rate decreases by 9.5%.According to a study by Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, educating women on prenatal care, basic hygiene, nutrition and immunization greatly assists in a lower infant mortality rate in developing nations. It has become evident that as women become more educated, they have less children.  Intrinsically, the chance of survival for those children increase drastically as there are more resources allocated to fewer children. Having fewer children also allows women to focus on their career, which in the agricultural industry, result in an increased standard of living for farmers and an increased supply of healthy food for the general population.

In order to promote women’s empowerment, Herd Heroes is partnering with Veterinarians International to provide work for a woman in Haiti which will promote future expansion of women in leadership. Veterinarians International’smission is “to enhance the health of humans, animals, and the environment through the use of sound veterinary care and expertise”. Much like Herd Heroes, Veterinarians International works to advance human health through livestock care and agricultural development. We hope that through this collaboration, both Herd Heroes and Veterinarians International can work on empowering women in developing nations, and better the agricultural community in L’Azile, Haiti. 

Shown in phpto: Watson Drouillard of Herd Heroes, and our top candidate for the community animal health worker position, Anese Francois. 

Agricultural Trends Leading to Genetic Engineering Research

Written by Rebecca Di Tucci

            Approximately 750 million people from low and middle-income countries rely heavily on the yield of their livestock for both income and dietary needs. But, an ongoing issue in these countries is that their livestock are not surviving harsh climates and are not yielding enough to make a decent profit. Researchers are trying to find ways to benefit these small-scale farmers through better access to veterinary care and improved animal genetics, with the goal of improving the yield of their livestock.

            Bill Gates, worth $92.8 billion and one of the most philanthropic men in the world, has donated $40 million to go into the research of crops that will withstand drought or disease as well as higher- yielding livestock and vaccines that will help keep these animals healthy.  When announcing this large donation, Gates stated: “If you care about the poor, you should care about agriculture. And if you care about agriculture, you care about livestock”.  The Gates Foundation believes that this research will eventually help move developing countries out of poverty as they sell their higher yielding livestock on the market, thus bringing in a more sustainable source of income to help take care of daily expenses and improve living standards.  The livestock that isn’t sold can be consumed and will provide nutrition for farmers and their families, and ultimately save them money since they wouldn’t have had to purchase the meat. Gates also shared, “For more than a billion-people living in the poorest countries, agriculture and livestock are a lifeline out of poverty”. In lower income countries, owning livestock is what separates you from the rest. That extra income puts kids through schools, which are primarily private and require some form of tuition payment. Thanks to the extra income provided by livestock, many doors will open for children who otherwise would not have had a chance to go to, or finish, school.

            At Herd Heroes, our goal is similar to that of The Gates Foundation and the research they are currently funding at The University of Edinburgh. We recently started construction on the Animal Health Field Station in L’Azile, Haiti. The Animal Health Field Station will be the focal point of veterinary care in L’Azile. It will be the first step down the road of providing exceptional veterinary care for livestock in Haiti. The field station will provide a safe haven for animals in need of protection from predators and inclement weather. This station will also have medicine and vaccines to promote the well-being of community livestock and protect public health by preventing diseases that can be transmitted to people. In addition to storing medications, emergency supplies, and supplemental feed for the animals, the Animal Health Field Station will also provide a location for services such as artificial insemination. The Field station will house a few animals that have favorable genetic traits. These animals will be used to better the gene pool and, ultimately, breed higher yielding livestock. This could greatly benefit small-scale farmers of L’Azile by providing an increased income or source of food.  We will use the Field Station as a base of operations to conduct assessments of herd health and public health issues, such as antimicrobial resistance.  Our philosophy, stated very simply, is consistent with that of The Gates Foundation:

Healthy, high-quality livestock = financial security for small farmers = thriving rural communities

Haiti: A Treasure On Earth

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Watson Douillard about his thoughts regarding President Trump's remarks and about Herd Heroes impact on the Haitian community. As an intellectual who pursued a college degree, Watson has had many opportunities to move to the United States and start a new. When asked why he stayed in Haiti he said, "70-80% of intellectuals decide to leave Haiti, but I want to be part of the change that contributes to the rebuilding of Haiti for the sake of future generations". Watson dedicates a lot of time to volunteer work to help improve his country. He teaches both English and Math in local schools, interprets and also teaches English on the radio with one of his good friends. Listeners call in and go though drills that help improve their language skills. Watson is passionate about helping his country and rebuilding it to be prosperous for the future generations to come. 

In addition to all of his volunteer work, Watson is the Herd Heroes project manager who is overseeing the construction of the Animal Health Field Station, in L'Azile,  which will house goats and other animals in times of need. This enclosure will be hurricane resistant and could save at least 10% of livestock by reducing the animals' exposure to inclement weather. It will also serve as a location to provide veterinary services for community animals. These animals provide income to the people of Haiti. When sold on the market, a healthy, strong, and mature goat can bring in about $120-$130.  Families often use this money to pay off their children's school tuitions as Haiti's school system is comprised primarily of private schools run by nuns.  

L'Azile is a locality in Haiti which has 4 primary schools. Once these kids move on from primary school, they have to walk 2 hours to attend high school. L'Azile also has very limited access to health care. The single health care center in the locality is run by another Boston non-profit organization called Circle of Hope. In cases of emergencies people need to be carried out on a stretcher until they reach a national road. In order to create a more efficient system, the people of Haiti need to develop a market in which they can sell their crops and livestock. As of now, most habitants grow what they need and sell the rest on the market, but once the market is flooded with crops and animals, their return yield ultimately decreases. In order to counteract this, Herd Heroes has partnered with another organization which will be buying goats from these farmers for a flat rate which will reduce the effect of excess supply on the market. 

 In addition to Watson's extracurricular activities, I asked about his thoughts on President Trump's recent comments, about Haiti in particular. Watson simply retorted that Trump's comment should be condemned but, also notes that the President does not speak for all Americans. He states, "Americans love people and they share the love and what they have with others". America and Haiti have always had a good relationship which has shown through all of the help from organizations and American based non-profits which have helped rebuild Haiti after natural disasters. To conclude the interview, Watson added, "Haiti is a treasure on Earth. Haiti is not a 'shit-hole'. The people here are so hospitable, the kids are loving and the country is beautiful".  Watson's passion and vision are our call to action. Watson and Herd Heroes are working to preserve Haiti's beauty, people and livestock by providing veterinary care to animals in need and teaching people to provide this care.