Goat's milk is the only milk known to half the world's people, but 80 percent of mothers and children in rural areas do not have any type of milk or milk products. The gift of a dairy goat is a lasting, meaningful way to help a struggling family on the other side of the world.

Goats can thrive in extreme climates and on poor, dry land by eating grass and leaves. Your gift of a dairy goat can supply a family with up to several quarts of nutritious milk a day — a ton of milk a year.

Extra milk can be sold or used to make cheese, butter or yogurt. Families use goat manure to fertilize gardens. And because goats often have two or three kids a year, Heifer partners can start small dairies that pay for food, health care and education.

It's no wonder the gentle nanny goat is often called the "foster mother to the human race!"

A Hero's Story

Until Francia and her young grandson, Jose, received a goat from Heifer, hunger and poverty were all they had ever known in the Dominican Republic.

But with their animal, they found hope. The goat gave them plenty of milk and produced kids to sell for income.

"HPI is still working ... long after other aid organizations have left." —Christian Science Monitor

One morning, as the goat started her third birthing, Jose noticed the goat having trouble. The young boy knew he had to help the nanny. If she died, his family would be set back dramatically.

Jose's training had taught him how a kid should be positioned in the womb. Using plastic bags as gloves, Jose carefully put his hands inside the nanny's womb and discovered one of the kid's legs was in the wrong position.

A few minutes after Jose moved the leg, the goat gave birth to healthy twins. When news of Jose's story spread, people came from throughout the village to see the young hero and his goats.