Elanco is celebrating World Hunger Day (May 28, 2014) by announcing a $500,000 commitment to Heifer International’s East Africa Dairy Development Project (EADD), continuing the company’s long-term partnership aimed at breaking the cycle of hunger for those most in need.

EADD aims to provide sustainable livelihoods for one million people in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya by 2018. Initiated in 2008, the EADD project has provided extensive training on dairy husbandry, business practices and operations as well as the marketing of dairy products for 179,000 farming families in the region. EADD has grown to be one of the leading market-oriented development initiatives in eastern Africa, earning the farming families more than $131 million.

The next phase will employ new technologies and practices around feed production, alternative energy sources and milk transport systems. The project will prioritize social capital and gender equity to increase impact, and will reach 136,000 primary beneficiaries. Elanco’s commitment includes the donation of product to help dairy farmers improve the health of their cows, the talents of Elanco employees to provide on-site training in cow health, value-chain and policy engagement, and financial support through 2018, including $500,000 this year.

This continues Elanco’s ongoing partnership with Heifer International. To date, Elanco has contributed more than $3 million to Heifer, providing the gift of training and animals to break the cycle of hunger for families in Indonesia, Zambia and China. In fact, Elanco is currently active in efforts to break the cycle in nearly 40 communities around the world.

“We’re particularly excited about the EADD project because it represents an evolution in sustainable development,” said Jeff Simmons, president of Elanco. “Moving beyond individual gifts of animals to offering connections to technology and marketplaces can deliver social, economic, and environmental benefits that will build stronger communities throughout the entire region. Not only will we help provide better diets with access to animal protein, but greater human potential will be realized as we improve livelihoods.”