Membership Criteria
Membership criteria are guidelines for selecting Heifer project communities. These criteria are set to ensure communities are clustered and inclusive to neighboring families. Clustering communities is important because it allows staff and community facilitators to work more efficiently and effectively. Likewise, being inclusive to all families within a community facilitates neighbors working together. When passing on the gift occurs, neighbors pass their gifts to nearby communities. In this way Heifer impacts whole communities in a fair and just way. Lastly, clustering families prepares Heifer communities for second-level cooperative projects in future years.
1.Criteria for selecting project area/province:
- The area is part of the strategic plan
- The surrounding areas will support and need future project development
- The area is poor and in need
2. Criteria for selecting communities:
- Community comprises members who have relatively low income, limited productive assets, socially deprived, or ethnic groups that were traditionally discriminated.
- Communities are located in proximity of one another’s cluster
With the facilitation of the project partner, self-help groups are formed by neighboring families. As the unit that Heifer project works with, SHGs’ understanding of the Heifer project and willingness to participate in activities shall be assessed.
3. Criteria for selecting participating groups:
- Must be organized as a SHG with commitment to work towards self-reliance
- Must have a functional group structure
- Must have group savings
- Must be active and conduct meetings regularly
- Committed to Heifer’s development approach, including VBHCD, Cornerstones, and PSRP
- Committed to sharing knowledge and resources with other groups through POG, co-learning, field visits, meetings, full participation, etc.
4. Criteria for selecting project families
- MFamilies are interested and committed to participate in the project
- Families have enough potential for labor, land and market access to efficiently implement projects.
- Families are part of an SHG
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