Heifer Participants Aid a Flooded Village and Their Livestock

On December 17, 2010, the road into and out of Dajci village in Albania finally reopened. For weeks after terrible flooding, the village was accessible only by boat.

The biggest concern for the isolated families of Dajci was their livestock. Some cows were evacuated, some were lost. Many were sheltered under improvised tents or simply sheltered with plastic sheets. Forty cows were even herded into the second floor of a house. And since the fields were also flooded, there was no way to feed the livestock.

"The water came within one day, and we couldn't save much in our house," said one farmer. "I begged my neighbors to take my cow with them to save her. But they had their own problems; they had to evacuate their own cattle." The farmer's cow survived but was very thin after weeks of little feed.

Several weeks later, water still covered many of the fields, but the families of Dajci were no longer isolated. And there was hope for their livestock. With a light snow falling, they gathered beside the reopened road as three trucks lumbered toward the village. Farmers from the Heifer communities of Lushnja, Urucaj and Strumi had donated hay and feed for the families of Dajci.

The trucks full of hay and feed stopped and were soon surrounded by people, hugging and thanking each other. "This means a lot for us, because feeding of animals is crucial in this moment," said Ilir Gjushi, a farmer from Dajci.

"Every farmer wanted to donate something," said Hajdar Uruci, a project member from Urucaj. "They all are thinking of you and want to be with you in these days."

It was a modest gesture, but the right support at the right time. As a sign of their own hospitality and gratefulness, and despite their own difficulties, the Dajci villagers invited the guests to stay in their houses for the night.

How You Can Help

Families in the Dajci village in Albania were given hope after a devastating flood because Heifer donors passed on the giff to create a living cycle of sustainability that develops community and enhances self-esteem by allowing project partners to become donors. Help fund work Heifer's work such as education and training by giving where most needed.