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And similar orgs.

Here's an (old) article:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/andrew-tyler-dont-follow-the-herd-and-give-a-cow-for-christmas-426054.html

Discuss.

sigh. in my pregan past i donated lots of these gifts. since becoming vegan i no longer give holiday gifts so i have been freed from this situation.


he's got a good point, trees are nice, but unless they're also building irrigation systems they're not likely to be super successful. also, if they aren't helping people find alternative sources of fuel those trees are likely to be cut next year and used for cooking.

I wouldn't give an animal donation anymore, but when we do have the chance to travel into the interior here in Brazil it's possible to see the advantage that some animals can give families who really don't have any resources or other means of obtaining food. the few eggs that some hens can lay are worth volumes to the family that sustains itself mostly from root vegetables grown in the back yard, without money even to buy beans and rice.

I stopped donating to Oxfam a few years ago when they sent me an email set to 'The Twelve Days of Christmas', with each line describing what animals my contribution would pay for, including crocodiles for meat farming (talk about the top of the food chain)!

I also read another article a couple of years ago about Heifer Intl. starting up dairies in Africa amidst populations that were largely lactose intolerant and without the resources to safely store dairy products.

When I was a junior in highschool my women's history class did a fundraiser for Heiffer International. I didn't know if i should participate but I was told that the cows weren't killed or anything, they were used to help the whole community. I collected cans for it, but nowadays I don't know how I feel about it...

VegFam is a great alternative. They actually are involved quite a bit with creating wells, irrigation systems in drought ridden areas etc.

http://www.vegfamcharity.org.uk/current-projects.html

Mr. Tyler makes a good case against supporting organizations like Heifer. I get that impoverished people may need eat animals/animal products when they don't have other options, but I'm definitely not going to donate to an organization that promotes animal use when there are better choices available.

VegFam sounds like a good one. Food for Life is another: http://www.ffl.org/about/

Cool. I'm glad I have coherent and sounds reasoning behind not wanting to support those organizations other than just being a crasshole vegan that values animals over people.

Animal agriculture is, and always will be expensive. And to assume that impoverished families can afford it is ridiculous! It's like giving a Ferrari to someone who could never afford the insurance. Sweet ride, but you should really just ride a bike.

The crisis center I volunteer at had a jar to raise money for Oxfam and at the next meeting they want to go through the catalogue and pick out animals to get :(

Doesn't Oxfam do other stuff? I don't remember them always being a farm animal free-for-all.

This is a great article. I agree with Nebraskalaska, it's great to have a good solid argument that doesn't just come across as "I'm vegan, everyone in Africa should be too."

Yeah, they do other stuff, too. I wish they'd let the animal part of it go. Here's the Oxfam America Unwrapped catalog: http://www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com/home.php

I saw a big Oxfam ad today at the mall with that poor alpaca on it. :(