Philanthrocapitalism_ How Giving Can Save the World - Matthew Bishop [47]
On one of my trips to Indonesia, I had an experience that brought home more clearly than ever the meaning of new beginnings. I went to a settlement where people were still uncomfortably living in tents. On my tour, I was accompanied by my interpreter, a lively young woman who had been a reporter on Indonesian television, and the elected leader of the residents, who met me at the camp entrance with his wife and young son.
The boy was a stunningly beautiful child, with enormous brown eyes and a blinding smile. I told the interpreter I thought he might be the most beautiful child I’d ever seen. “Yes, he is very beautiful,” she replied, “and before the tsunami he had nine brothers and sisters, and they’re all gone.” Yet the father had a smile on his face and talked not about his grief but about the needs of the people he represented.
The last stop on the tour was the health clinic. When I was there, the leader’s wife came up to me, holding a little boy less than a week old. The baby’s mother, in keeping with their custom, was resting in bed, something she would do for forty days. The woman who had lost nine of her own children was smiling when she said, “This is our newest baby. We want you to name him.” I asked her if there was an Indonesian word for “new beginning.” The woman beamed again and through the interpreter said, “Yes. In our language, the word ‘dawn’ is a boy’s name, not a girl’s. We will call this child Dawn, and he will symbolize our new beginning.”
The world is awash in divisions rooted in the human compulsion to believe our differences are more important than our common humanity. The next time you’re tempted to give in to it, or wonder why you should give your time, money, and effort to new beginnings, think of those brave parents who lost nine children, cherished the one left behind, and in the midst of all their adversity, named a newborn baby Dawn.
SEVEN
Gifts That Keep on Giving
NEXT DOOR TO my library in Little Rock, Arkansas, is the world headquarters of Heifer International, founded in 1944 by Dan West, who was a relief worker during the Spanish Civil War. That experience convinced him that what poor and suffering people really need far more than temporary help is the ability to support themselves. So he began shipping them cows.
Sixty-three years later, Heifer has evolved into one of the world’s most successful and widely acclaimed givers for two reasons. First, it works to end world hunger by giving cows, goats, and other food and income-producing livestock and agricultural goods to poor families around the world. The animals are now bought locally to maximize resistance to local diseases and to help local economies. They produce milk, eggs, wool, and meat, enhancing nutrition and earning money for education, health care, better housing, and small-business endeavors. Heifer partners with local groups to ensure that the agriculture it supports is sustainable, promoting animal health, and water quality, soil conservation, and efficient energy use. Heifer also champions equality for women and community development.
Fittingly, because of its commitment to a sustainable environment, the new international headquarters was built making maximum use of recycled materials, capturing and using rainwater, and conserving energy. I believe that the Heifer headquarters and my library, which has a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, will soon be the only two adjacent headquarters buildings in America to receive one of the top two LEED certifications.
The second reason for Heifer’s success is that those who receive its animals are required to share the first offspring with others in