It's funny sometimes how the Lord leads me to information. Last week I was blogging about beekeeping since we were getting our hives ready for the winter. I decided to include information about the patron saints of beekeeping. St. Valentine is one. While I was researching him and several others I came upon an article from Heifer International about St. Valentine. That intrigued me because we've supported the group in the past. Last year we included among our children's Christmas gifts a card for each saying a beehive was purchased and donated in their name for a poor family. Here's Heifer's promo for the honeybee gift:HONEYBEES SWEETEN A FAMILY'S FINANCIAL FUTURE
A Heifer honeybee gift donation includes a bee package, hive, box and training in beekeeping techniques. When you buy bees for a family in need, your gift:
Boosts income through sales of honey, wax and pollenStimulates growth of the family’s crops through pollination
Gosh, for a beekeeper that was a great gift. We'd given goats and bunnies in the past, but bees...well, that was perfect!Sometimes it's the smallest gifts that make the largest impact. Healthy beehives can double fruit and vegetable yields of small farms. Let your honeybee donation turn a family's struggle into a lifetime of opportunity.
And then I had this thought. "Hmm...I've never checked whether Heifer Int. has any connections to abortion or population control."
I couldn't imagine they did, but I decided that prudent givers check their charities. So I did a search. And sadly, what I came up with convinced me to drop them from our charity list.
Human Life International lists Heifer among the NGOs (non-government organizations) that "do much good work, but...aggressively integrate 'family planning' and reproductive health' into their activities." But read for yourselves:
Not many have heard about giant single-purpose population control groups such as the Academy for Educational Development, CONRAD, DKT International, EngenderHealth, Family Health International, the International Medical Corps, IPAS, JHPIEGO, John Snow, Marie Stopes International, MCDI, PATH, Pathfinder and dozens of others, perhaps because their names cleverly conceal their real purpose ― to do nothing more than make large poor families into small poor families.
Perhaps even more dangerous are the many international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that do much good work, but which aggressively integrate “family planning” and “reproductive health” into their activities. These trusted groups include CARE, Heifer International, Helen Keller International, HOPE, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), the International Red Cross, Rotary International, UNICEF, World Vision and the World Wildlife Fund. (Complete article here.)
I did a pretty extensive review of Heifer's website and lots of red flags wave including lots of problematic buzz words: gender equity...women's empowerment...sustainable development...not to mention their "partners" which include many well known for promoting anti-life, anti-family policies.The upshot of all this? Heifer International is off my Christmas list. No beehives, goats, bunnies, or water buffaloes in Santa's pack this year. Instead, we'll be contributing hot meals to folks in areas hit by disasters through Mercy Chefs and helping Catholics around the world through Aid to the Church in Need.
I'm sorry to say good-bye to Heifer, though. I loved those cute little bunnies, chicks and ducklings. And more than all of them -- the busy little honeybees. But I have to think the bee in my bonnet the other day was buzzing around with my guardian angel to make sure I don't inadvertently do evil when I'm trying to do good.
The deception in organized "charity" today has sadly made me doubt all of them. We can't even trust our own Catholic bishops anymore and just about anybody with a laptop can create what "appears to be" a worthy cause though it is little more than an attempt to steal your money or use it for purposes that are anything BUT Catholic.
ReplyDeleteThe world is full of liars and deceivers. It is worrisome to imagine you are being duped everytime you write a check and as a Christian who wants to be generous, an even worse feeling that the money we give away is going to those with hidden agendas. At this point, my own inclination is to give to my own family, my own friends, my own parish needs. I just cant trust anyone else.
I agree with Chriss...can't trust anyone with the money given in charity. I give directly to the poor. There is a black man who panhandles on a corner I pass when going to Mass. He actually DOES work to earn money when people need him. He cuts lawns and also cleans stables for a woman who has horses. The rest of the time he panhandles, and I give him money because he's sweet lovely and kind. I'd rather give to him than St Vincent de Paul.
ReplyDeleteI also send canteen money every 6 months to a prisoner who killed two people when he was in a drug fueled frenzy 20 years ago. In prison he converted to Christ (protestant) and fully repents of what he did. He is on death row. Very sad.
I saw a girl with green hair, tattoos all over her body, thin and unkempt with a newborn baby in the Church office trying to get sympathy from the parish ...who gave her money from St Vincent de Paul for whatever she needed. She kept saying that wherever she went people stared at her. Well, yes...people WOULD stare at her. That's what she wants, right, with tattoos all over her body to look at and read (various slogans inked into her skin). If she had not spent money on tattoos she might have been better able to support herself. Looked more presentable, therefore able to get a job. She needs to stop doing drugs. The poor newborn baby. Tragic.