These pillars are directed at empowering the entire community to break the cycle of poverty
- alternative income and livelihood,
- health care,
- clean water and sanitation, and
- agriculture and food security.
Create community projects designed to be owned and maintained by the community, and self-sustained within five years after project implementation is complete.
- promote solidarity, not charity.
- learn and share with community members in order to gain a valuable experience.
- begin making a difference, armed with a new perspective and understanding of our role in the global community.
- Hands-on volunteering and the opportunity to give back in a meaningful way
- Social issues education
- Renewed sense of community: Helping to redefine the sense of empathy, compassion and a full understanding of the power of communalism.
- Action planning: All participants set goals and build personalized action plans
Engaging and collaborating with local community members at the outset of any development project in order to address the issues that community members have identified as important.
Developing and building the capacity of community members to assume leadership and management of the implemented projects.
Providing families (especially women) with opportunities to participate in alternative income and micro-credit programs, and equipping them with the skills and tools—such as financial literacy training, business planning workshops and leadership seminars—to be successful entrepreneurs and give back to their community.
Developing the potential of "merry go rounds" (and other similar traditional lending and savings initiatives) to increase income and livelihood for families.
Tackling local environmental issues and providing solutions based on indigenous knowledge to ensure programs can be sustained by both community and the land.