Help International Plant Protein Organisation (HIPPO) is a charity that was founded by vegetarians, is run by vegetarians, and is supported predominantly by vegetarians. Its purpose is to deliver help to poor people in poor countries, help that conforms to vegetarian ethics and puts the emphasis on plant foods for direct human consumption. Money from HIPPO cannot be used for any kind of livestock project. HIPPO also seeks to persuade people everywhere to become strictly vegetarian for the sake of people, animals, and the global environment. The principal founder of HIPPO is an agriculturalist who worked for 30 years for the UK Ministry of Agriculture and also for several years in the Caribbean and in Ethiopia. HIPPO’s current projects include:

ETHIOPIA

Tigrayan Women Farmers, a project run by the Institute for Sustainable Development, a local non-government organisation based in Addis Ababa. HIPPO’s support is used to provide seeds, trees, wells, and training in organic growing methods to very poor women-headed households. ISD also runs other projects in Ethiopia including a large youth programme centring on environmental issues. It has been very successful in influencing government policy in a number of key areas.

KENYA

Families Together This is a community support project run directly by HIPPO providing food and other essential aid to some of the poorest in the community in the Nakuru area, especially to grandparent’s caring for children – sadly all too frequent a situation given the mortality rate among parents from AIDS and other illnesses.

Wamba Women Another ‘HIPPO direct’ project that is helping a women’s group in the dry Samburu district of Wamba to grow vegetable foods – a break with the usual Samburu way of life. Samburu are a sister tribe to the Maasai and like them have traditionally been pastoralists whose basic diet has been milk, blood, and meat. Repeated drought disasters are awakening them to the benefits of plant-food cultivation.

Mission in Action This is a vegetarian orphanage that HIPPO has been strongly supporting for several years. MIA takes in abandoned babies, usually in a pitiful condition, often HIV positive, and helps them to grow into lively, lovely, healthy children. HIPPO has financed the establishment of a 4-acre vegetable garden with efficient ‘trickle’ irrigation, and we pay for ongoing costs of food and other essentials. MIA also do much good work in the local community such as providing large water tanks for saving rain water from the roofs of the little houses – especially for the old and disabled who find the daily long walk to the river difficult or impossible. Usually roof guttering has to be installed also, and not infrequently complete re-roofing is necessary. MIA and HIPPO work closely together in providing help to the community. The orphanage welcomes volunteers for short or long stays. If you would like to know more please contact us.

TANZANIA

Monduli Gardens Monduli is a District in the Arusha Region of Tanzania. This is our newest project. The population around the area is predominantly Maasai. The land is increasingly becoming degraded and unproductive and we are intending to create interest in the growing and consumption of plant-food crops. We are beginning in and around the township itself with a pilot scheme to install water-harvesting facilities and to establish vegetable gardens. This is necessarily a gradual process but there is already a lot of interest in what we are doing. A local committee headed by the retired secretary of the District Council whom we have known personally for several years is being set up to carry the project forward.

UGANDA

Nutricare Uganda This local NGO based in Kampala is running a scheme to provide a nutritious cooked daily meal for schoolchildren. Many poor children go to school on an empty stomach and get nothing to eat until they return home in the late afternoon – and even then very little. A soya/maize/ mineral/vitamin mix is being used and already we are getting reports of improved school attendance, better pupil concentration, and better scholastic performance. Financial help and advice is also being given for the establishment of school gardens to grow food. HIPPO so far has provided all the finance to set up this project for its first year and is likely to continue as the major sponsor.

Any donation small or large is much appreciated. You may dedicate your gift to a particular project if you wish. Otherwise we will direct it according to the greatest need at the time. In any case we reserve the right to re-allocate your money if the project you choose is already fully subscribed but we will endeavour to discuss and agree this with you first. Requests for further information are always welcome.

HIPPO

Churchfield House

Weston under Penyard

Ross-on-Wye HR9 7PA

Telephone: 01989 762192

Email: hippocharity@btinternet.com

We will be supporting HIPPO this Saturday with our tombola.

Tags: HIPPO