Twenty-five years ago, I noticed a sign on the front door at 7719 Germantown Ave. that said "Heifer International." I was familiar with this unique global humanitarian organization, which since World War II has provided farm animals, technical assistance and training to countless families in more than 125 countries victimized by natural disasters and war.

In my decades-long career as a journalist, I've had the privilege of meeting countless remarkable individuals. But as I look back on a lifetime of interviews and stories, some stand out as truly extraordinary. The day I stepped into that Heifer International office ranks among the most memorable, and produced a story of resilience and compassion that has stayed with me all these years.

I went into the office and met Umaru J. Sule, its community relations coordinator. Sule, a remarkable survivor of an unimaginable tragedy, went on to become a virtual searchlight for others, setting an example of nobility and selfless service.

On Aug. 21, 1986, a volcanic eruption rained down on the region of Cameroon, West Africa, where Umaru and other members of his nomadic Fulani tribe lived. The natural disaster killed 1,745 people, including 51 members of Sule's extended family and every one of his 11 sisters and five brothers, as well as his mother. Only his father and an uncle were spared. The tribe's 4,000 cattle, which they depended on for survival, were also killed.

Sule explained that the Chestnut Hill office was opened to spread the word about the organization and raise funds to help other victims of horrific tragedies. The office was there for about five years before closing.

"I believe there is a reason for everything," Sule said. "I know for sure that my purpose in life is to help people the way HI helped me. When you receive the good deeds of others, you must pass them along."

The idea for HI originated with Dan West, a relief worker from Indiana, who was delivering aid to victims of the Spanish Civil War in 1937. He believed that giving farm animals to rural victims of tragedy would help them rely on themselves for long-term survival.

West and others officially founded HI in 1944. Recipients are asked to pass on the gift of training and animal offspring to other families in distress. In the years following World War II, tens of thousands of animals were given to farmers across Europe. More than three million animals have been delivered to rural China, and more than half of all chickens in South Korea are descended from HI-supplied hatching eggs.

After the Cameroon eruption, the 4,000 surviving members of the Fulani tribe were living in camps with very little food. Chuck Talbert of HI helped them get 68 head of cattle from Kenya.

HI members were so impressed with Umaru that they brought him to the U.S. and enabled him to earn a degree in animal science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He later earned a master's degree in agricultural education at Oklahoma State University.

When Umaru was 12, he rebelled against his family and left home to get an education. He lived with a stranger, sleeping on a cement floor with a "bed" of cut grass. "I was hungry all the time," said Umaru. "When the man I was living with had some food, he might share it with me, but that did not happen often."

When Sule came to the U.S., the culture shock was dramatic. "The pace of life here is so fast that it was hard to adjust," he explained. "At home, people sit around and talk for hours. Here everyone is in a hurry to do so much every day. I was so lonely, but eventually, I did adjust."

"Even before the volcano eruption, there was never enough food. We were hungry all the time. When I came to this country and was taken to a supermarket in Boston, I could not believe how much food was in one place. I thought the food in that market must be for all of the people in Boston."

After earning his master's degree in 1991, Umaru worked in Dallas but was "very unhappy." When HI opened an office in Chestnut Hill in 1999, he leaped at the chance to work there. His responsibilities included speaking about HI at schools, churches and civic groups, working with volunteers and fundraising.

"I have to explain to people that for many people in the Third World, having these farm animals is literally a matter of life and death," he said.

When he worked here, Umaru lived in Northeast Philadelphia with his wife, also from Cameroon, and three sons. When asked about his impressions of the U.S., he said, "The idea in this country that you can be whatever you want to be is good. Where I come from, there are no opportunities. No change for centuries.

"And the volunteer spirit here is wonderful. Americans are very generous to charities. When I went to Germany, I got no help, but the very first person I met in Boston, a customs officer at the airport, went out of his way to make sure someone was there to help me."

He also noted some downsides: "On the bad side is the materialism. My kids want so many things because the other kids have them, but I can't afford all those things. Also, there is so much waste. Where I come from, you can't afford to waste anything, but here there is so much that a tremendous amount is just thrown away."

For more information, visit heifer.org. Len Lear can be reached at
lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.