Water Buffalos For Poor Farmers?

[IMA_FARANG]

My Thai wife went on Sunday to a local Wat here in Bangkok. She recieved a string necklace, a blessing, and a Buddhist medallion from the Monk at the ceremny. It was apparently at least sponsored or hosted by the local Wat

What the purpose apparently was, from what she told me, was to collect donations to buy and donate old and or unwanted Water Buffalo to poor farmers. Because many farmers are switching to tractors from Water Buffalo, the Water Buffalo are being sold and slaughtered for meat and leather. At the same time there are some poor farmers in upcountry Thailand who simply can't afford to buy a tractor for their fields. So this project was to collect money to buy these unwanted Water Buffalo and provide them free to poor farmers who needed them.

It sounded like a good project to me, and I've been with my Thai wife for over 30 years so I have learned to trust her word and when she is serious about what she says. She seemed very serious about this, and also felt it was a way for her to gain merit by saving the life of an animal, so I believe the project is a real one. I gave her 500 Baht from my wallet to donate, and she seemed quite happy with that. When she came back she said the monk said a blessing for me as well as her.

My question is: has anyone else on this forum heard about this project? Can anyone give me the details of what it is and who or what organization (if any) sponsor it? And finally, is it tied into a Thai government or Royal project? Or was it just a project of that local Wat (sorry I didn't get the Wat's name...my Thai is basically nil, and I had to decode what she said from her basic English)

Bottom line: I'm looking for information on such a project in Thailand...saving Water Buffalo from slaughter and donating them to poor farmers...sponsored or hosted by Thai Buddhists and Monks, I believe.

Edited May 17, 2011 by IMA_FARANG

[IMA_FARANG]

After I posted this I did some searching on the net. I found a NGO with an office in Chiang Mai called the Hieffer Project. Apparently they do a lot of work with the Thai hiltribes up north as well as other countries in Southeast Asia. One of their projects is to provide livestock as breeding stock for farmers, especially Hilltribe farmers. The farmer gets to keep the offspring and then pass the mother on to another person.

I'm not sure if this is what my Thai wife was talking about or not, but it could be. The NGO provides livestock such as pigs, ducks, and...Water Buffalo ... for breeding purposes. I can see it as possible that they buy unwanted Water Buffalo and donate them to farmers as that breeding stock.

Yes, a tractor is fine for fields on flat and not to swampy land...but Water Buffalo can go into areas of marginal and swampy land where tractors have dificulties.

[Brucenkhamen]

If it's a thai project as opposed to an NGO/foreign project you're not likely to find it googling in english or phonetic Thai, I'm not sure an NGO would work through local wats to secure donations. I'd ask your wife to try googling it in Thai.

[Windynoi]

"My Thai wife went on Sunday to a local Wat here in Bangkok. She recieved a string necklace, a blessing, and a Buddhist medallion from the Monk at the ceremny. It was apparently at least sponsored or hosted by the local Wat

What the purpose apparently was, from what she told me, was to collect donations to buy and donate old and or unwanted Water Buffalo to poor farmers. Because many farmers are switching to tractors from Water Buffalo, the Water Buffalo are being sold and slaughtered for meat and leather. At the same time there are some poor farmers in upcountry Thailand who simply can't afford to buy a tractor for their fields. So this project was to collect money to buy these unwanted Water Buffalo and provide them free to poor farmers who needed them.

It sounded like a good project to me, and I've been with my Thai wife for over 30 years so I have learned to trust her word and when she is serious about what she says. She seemed very serious about this, and also felt it was a way for her to gain merit by saving the life of an animal, so I believe the project is a real one. I gave her 500 Baht from my wallet to donate, and she seemed quite happy with that. When she came back she said the monk said a blessing for me as well as her.

My question is: has anyone else on this forum heard about this project? Can anyone give me the details of what it is and who or what organization (if any) sponsor it? And finally, is it tied into a Thai government or Royal project? Or was it just a project of that local Wat (sorry I didn't get the Wat's name...my Thai is basically nil, and I had to decode what she said from her basic English)

Bottom line: I'm looking for information on such a project in Thailand...saving Water Buffalo from slaughter and donating them to poor farmers...sponsored or hosted by Thai Buddhists and Monks, I believe."

Thanks, I luv the bits I have highlighted. It must be the secret to staying married that long.

I hope mine lasts as long.

Cheers

[IMA_FARANG]

I'll just add an update to what I previously posted previously.

I've found out some details about the Heiffer Project and it's parent group Heiffer International. I am now on a list for their weekly email mailing list.

They are a Christian based group out of Georgia in the U.S. They are not "fundamentalist" Christians but are "faith based"...meaning they call themselves Christians. They have projects worldwide, usually providing breeding animals of various types to poor farmers. The farmer breeds the animal(s), keeps the resulting offspring, and passes on the original animal(s) through the NGO to another farmer. The NGO refers to this as the "Passing On Of the Gift". Heiffer International, their guiding organization, has won several international awards for their programs.

In Thailand their Thai project is known as The Heiffer Project. Their Thai office is based in Chiang Mai.

Yes. much of it's staff is Thai...but if you do a Goggle search at least part of their Thai website is in English.

Much of their work is done with the hilltribes in Thailand. In Thailand they provide, Ducks, Fish, Goats, Cattle for milk, and Water Buffalo to farmers...as I said mainly to hilltribe farmers.

I'm still not sure if this is what my Thai wife was refering to when she told me the donation she made was to "save Water Buffalo from slaughter"...but it seems possible. Obviously they have to get the original breeding stock...including Water Buffalo...from somewhere, don't they?

Edited May 23, 2011 by IMA_FARANG

[Brucenkhamen]

One project is to save unwanted animals from being put down by finding someone who can make use of them, another to provides breeding stock to help produce animals that are presumably needed/wanted.

I don't see much overlap.