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Established in 2003 with a gift from Jean M. Aloe of Greenwich, Connecticut to benefit projects in Kosovo.

Ms. Aloe had purchased animals from Heifer before, but says "…when I saw on your website that one could establish a country endowment, I was really thrilled. It means a lot to me to have something established on a permanent basis." Lucky for us, about the same time she learned of the country endowment program, she received an unexpected tax return, and that's what she used to fund the endowment. In later correspondence, she wrote, "Lest you think the $5,000 tax refund was just change in my pocket, it wasn't. I am 62 and work fulltime. That money could have meant a great vacation or ??, things I might have wanted but didn't need. I am just so grateful that the door was there for me to walk through (i.e. Heifer endowment). It is so much more important to do something really worthwhile for others, something permanent. I thank Heifer for giving me this gift."

When asked, "Why Kosovo?' Ms. Aloe replies, "My heart had gone out to the people of that region as I followed their plight over several years. I am now reading books on the history of Kosovo and looking for novelists and poets from that area. (Ms. Aloe writes poetry in her spare time.) She also checks the United Nations website on Kosovo (UNMIK) regularly, so she can keep abreast of what is happening there. She plans to add to the endowment each year at Christmas and hopes that her children will contribute when they are able, as well.

The plight of the Kosovars Ms. Aloe refers to, of course, began with uprisings and the fall of the Iron Curtain in the Eastern Bloc in the late '80s and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early '90s. The people of Eastern Europe were left to contend with a legacy of communism and the Cold War. Countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe were ravaged by rampant poverty, inequality, and environmental catastrophe (including natural disasters, industrial pollution, the Chernobyl catastrophe, and devastated farmlands.) Ethnic tensions and civil war also plagued the area, and many countries had to redefine their boundaries and identities. A unique phenomenon to this part of the world is "social orphans," as many heartsick parents feel forced to place their children in orphanages, hoping the children will receive food, care and education.

click hereto read a heartwarming story about a young man named Riza, his family and his Heifer family.

To join Ms. Aloe and renew hope, health and prosperity for these good people, please give today.

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