Archive for category: Poverty Reduction

Information and stories about poverty reduction.

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The Education Development Center

In the fight against global poverty, it is important to acknowledge some of the more successful combatants. The Education Development Center (EDC) is one of these. As a global nonprofit, it recognizes the correlation between the lack of education and increased global poverty and helps give those marginalized in the world — either due to poverty or war — the chance of leading a better life by means of education. As their website states, over 100 million children do not attend school, and it is this statistic that the EDC is fighting to combat and reduce.

With offices based in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Waltham, Mass., the Education Development Center commands a global staff of 1,350 members. It has over a $190 million budget and over 250 programs spread throughout 30 different countries and across all 50 U.S. states.

Through grants from both private foundations and federal agencies, the EDC creates and implements projects to improve educational and economic prospects of those worldwide. According to the EDC, these projects have ranged from “seed projects to large-scale national and international initiatives.”

Notable donors to the EDC include: the Ford Motor Company, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Education, UNESCO and the World Health Organization. Recently, the EDC has received three grants from the U.S. Department of Education, one for $3.5 million and two for almost $400,000 each, all meant for education development projects within the U.S.

Founded in 1958, the EDC’s first project was to design a new physics curriculum for American high school classrooms. This was partially a reaction to the Soviet Union’s new space program as well as a response to a perceived discrepancy between Soviet Union and American science educations.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, this project became highly successful, and the new curriculum was incorporated into roughly half of American high schools by the early 1960s.

Following the implementation of this first project in the United States, EDC soon began to establish a more global reach. In 1961 and 1966 it began work on advancing mathematics and science programs in Africa. These projects would eventually end up creating, as stated on EDC’s website, “the continent’s first indigenous education research and development organization, Science Education Programme for Africa.”

However, one of its most effective and interesting international projects is the Radio Education or Interactive Radio Instruction.

This radio program that began in 1985 (and still exists today) was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. It uses radios to educate large swaths of people, including adults and children from over 30 developing countries, that would otherwise be unable to receive a basic education, either because of war or poverty.

This dedication to improving the world and combating poverty through education has been sustained throughout the organization’s entire existence. As a result of projects from 1997-2007, for instance, student enrollment in Guinea has doubled.

More recently, the international work of the EDC has focused on reducing youth unemployment in both Rwanda and Macedonia. More vocational training centers, concentrated on teaching technical and interpersonal skills, are being created for these youths.

As 2015 draws near, so does the end of the Millennium Development Goals, eight goals signed in 2000 by 191 countries designed to drastically reduce global poverty. As the international community debates and draws up the next set of goals to target poverty, the EDC will be remembered and depended on for the continued positive change it has enacted since 1958.

– Albert Cavallaro 

Sources: EDC 1, EDC 2, EDC 3, EDC 4, EDC 5, IRIN
Photo: Sasaki

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Spotlight on Team Tassy

On Saturday, July 26 in Denver and Saturday, September 6 in Pittsburgh, the third annual Great American Water Balloon Fight will take place. The profit from ticket sales go to Team Tassy, an organization passionate about ending global poverty. Team Tassy focuses on helping with the health, education, housing and jobs of those in poverty. Its ideology is that everyone can help, no matter how much or how little.

The story of Team Tassy goes back to Ian Rosenberger’s trip Haiti shortly after the 2010 earthquake. Rosenberger met a Haitian boy named Tassy. Tassy, though surviving the earthquake that stripped 300,000 people of their lives and destroyed the homes of 1.5 million, carried a tennis ball sized tumor on the side of his face.

It was ironic to have survived unlikely catastrophes and yet have a future threatened by something that can be treated. However, Rosenberger realized that the removal of the tumor would not guarantee Tassy a future either. Tassy would still face the hardships that come with an impoverished life. Rosenberger understood that to help Tassy and others like him, people must collaborate to eliminate poverty.

Virginia Montanez of the Pittsburgh Magazine conducted an interview of Rosenberger and Tassy in 2011 regarding the journey together that saved Tassy’s life. Within months, Rosenberger raised $50,000 for the surgery in Pittsburgh required to remove Tassy’s tumor. With the help of friends and donors donations poured in. Rosenberger notes that over 500 people had a hand in helping Tassy jump this hurdle.

In the interview, Rosenberger admitted that there were some worrisome periods when they were unsure of the possibility of meeting their goal and their chances of saving Tassy. However, the ultimate success of Tassy’s story proved the immeasurable power of advocacy.

Rosenberger knows that Tassy’s story is not the only one of its kind. Rosenberger kept going and started Team Tassy in order to help others in need. Rosenberger’s vision and efforts have helped Tassy kick-start a future full of possibilities.  Tassy attends college in Pittsburgh and now envisions a hopeful future. He wants to eventually help others, just as others have helped him.

The water balloon fight was one of the events Rosenberger and his team organized to help fundraise for Haitians. The first water balloon fight in Pittsburgh amassed $22,000. Since then, Team Tassy has continued to host the event.

Besides the colorful sight of nearly 100,000 water balloons sailing through the air over a stadium field, participants can spend their day joining in on other activities. There’s music, yoga, carnival games and food. It’s a very festive, family oriented event. People are encouraged to indulge in some childhood fun in honor of a good cause.

– Carmen Tu

Sources: The Great American Water Balloon Fight, Pittsburgh Magazine, Team Tassy, YouTube – Ted Talks, TribLive
Photo: Team Tassy

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ONE Launches New Campaign

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What better way to give the girls and women of the world a voice than by giving them a worldwide platform on which to broadcast the issues that matter to them? That’s exactly the thinking behind ONE’s innovative new campaign called “Girls & Women.” The campaign seeks to “unleash the full potential of girls” by showcasing stories with women at their center.

Women have long been disproportionately affected by poverty; of the most impoverished people across the globe, more than 60 percent are female. Empowering women in developing countries to become full-fledged economic participants is crucial to eliminating poverty, but it begins by solving the social issues behind unequal access to education, employment and financial resources. Putting gender inequality in the spotlight is the first step to achieving equality.

ONE’s new “Girls & Women” initiative seeks to bring about equality by allowing different female “curators” from around the world to share their stories. The very first curator is Phiona Mutesi, a young Ugandan chess prodigy who has used her talent to help her family rise from poverty. On the same page that features stories about female entrepreneurs and resources for female empowerment, Phiona chose to share articles about how she personally escaped slum life, and some of the highlights of her life since then – specifically, challenging her chess hero and learning that Disney is preparing to produce a movie based on her life. Yes, Disney.

In conjunction with the “Girls & Women” initiative, ONE also offers its readers the chance to reach out to their Congressmen (at this time, to promote the Electrify Africa Act,) — an endeavor very much in line with The Borgen Project’s mission. In this way, ONE represents another agency using the power of advocacy to create measurable change. By shedding light on inspiring women and the issues that contribute to their poverty, ONE is working to make the world better for over half of its inhabitants.

– Elise L. Riley

Sources: ONE, United Nations Development Programme
Photo: NBC News

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Conflicting Results on Microcredit Alleviating Poverty


A new experimental study, out June 10th of this year, examines how microcredit, or the lending of small amounts of money at low interest to new businesses in the developing world, may not help jump start poor populations’ financial growth as much as some may think.

The authors of the study, Bruno Crepon, Florencia Devoto, Esther Duflo, and William Pariente, randomly assigned 162 villages in rural Morocco to either receive microcredit (these villages would serve as the treatment group) or not to receive it (and these would serve as the control group).

The researchers, who are affiliated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (or J-PAL), found that microcredit does not lead to families and businesses exiting poverty in the long-run.

This is in opposition to a similar study conducted by Shahidur Khandker and Hussain Samad of the World Bank in March 2014 which found that microcredit increased personal expenditure, labour supply, household assets and schooling of children in impoverished communities of Bangladesh.

Furthermore, Bono, whose humanitarian work in developing nations is highly documented, has lauded microcredit as an effective means of alleviating poverty, stating, “Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. Give a woman microcredit, she, her husband, her children and her extended family will eat for a lifetime.”

However, the researchers at J-PAL found that microcredit decreased the amount of time Moroccan laborers spent on work. The effect on investment was greatly offset by a reduction in income from wages. The researchers concluded that access to microcredit, at least in Morocco, did not result in income gains, personal consumption or education of the youth.

Writers at the Economist are attempting to analyze the conflicting results of these two studies, and learn why they produced such significant differences. One theory is that microcredit may only reduce poverty and increase income in the long run, making short term studies irrelevant and ineffective at gleaning a meaningful answer.

The two studies also took place in two very different countries on separate continents. One can reasonably conclude that there may be social, environmental, or political factors at play, as well. Economists refer to this issue as “external validity,” meaning the extent to which a study’s results are generalizable outside of its given context. The effects of microcredit may not be clear until researchers readily take place, setting, and social and political structures into account.

Further research is needed to know whether lending sums of money to businesses in poor areas of the developing world may actually be a beneficial policy. Crepon and his co-authors are currently planning a follow-up experiment to study the long term implications of microcredit. All involved hope to find some answers to these questionable methods of alleviating global poverty.

-Paige Frazier

Sources: The Economist, The World Bank, MIT Economics, Look to the Stars
Photo: African Microfinance Network

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5 Ways to Put Your Time Toward Change

In just one month in 2012, Americans spent a combined 230,060 years on social media according to the annual Nielsen Report. That’s about 6.5 hours per person, if every American used social media, and a whopping 121 billion minutes total. That was two years ago, and social media platforms and usage continue to grow.

That we have managed to collectively squeeze thousands of years worth of time out of just one month is amazing, a true feat that proves the potential for impact when an entire society chooses to dedicate time to one purpose. That this feat was accomplished in the name of liking, posting, commenting and pinning is disheartening. We can do better.

Imagine the improvements to our world if every American spent even half that time, about three hours every month, addressing global poverty issues and working toward solutions. We can no longer claim we don’t have time to make the world a better place.

Here are five ways to put your time toward change:

1. Take a free class on global issues (1-5 hours per week)

Educate yourself on the problems and solutions of global poverty! There are many free courses offered online by prestigious universities that focus on issues like global health and development. Auditing or taking a class for credit is a great way to learn about the current landscape of global poverty issues, and what we can do about them.

Check out sites like coursera.com and openculture.com to access free classes from top universities around the world. Many universities now offer free classes through their websites as well.

Multiply your impact: Take it one step further and share what you’ve learned with your friends, family and community. Give a talk at a local school, write an op-ed for your newspaper or hold a fundraiser. Most importantly, spread the good news; although it sounds too big to conquer, we CAN (and have) reduced global poverty rates.

2. Send a care package (1-2 hours to a weekend project)

Basic supplies can make all the difference. Consider the fact that women and girls around the world miss days of school and work because they lack access to feminine hygiene products/menstrual pads. These collective days of missed income and education add up to real economic losses, keeping women in the cycle of poverty. Girls are forced to use whatever they can find — newspapers, leaves, rocks — as sanitary supplies, and are sometimes exploited in exchange for hygiene.

Days for Girls distributes sustainable feminine hygiene kits made by individuals and groups in the U.S. to women and girls around the world. The website includes patterns, instructions and videos so that you can get involved and sew reusable pads for the organization to send. There is also information about joining a kit-sewing chapter near you and tips for starting your own, as well as ways to help if you can’t sew.

Imagine trying to run a school without chalkboards, books or pencils. Check out organizations like Books for Africa, International Book Project and Kids to Kids International to learn more about how to send books and supplies to schools and kids around the world.

Multiply your impact: Enlist the help of your team, group or classroom to hold book and school supply drives, and make care packages together. Gather your crafty friends and have a hygiene kit sewing party.

3. Contact Congress to secure support for essential poverty-reducing legislation (30 seconds to 2 minutes)

Getting in touch with your congressional leaders is surprisingly easy and highly effective. Because congressional leaders want to track what issues are important to constituents, their staffers tally every issue and bill the office receives calls, letters and emails about. Every contact you make counts (literally) and even one email means your issue or bill is on the leader’s radar.

The Borgen Project’s Action Center page lists current bills relevant to global poverty and includes links to send a formal email to congressional leaders for each. Just fill out your contact info once, and then click to send emails urging support for crucial legislation. Use the link at the bottom of the page to read more about each bill.

Click here to search congressional phone numbers by your zip code, and here for tips on making the call. It’s as easy as saying, “I’m a constituent and a Borgen Project supporter, calling to ask (leader name) to support the (Water for the World Act).”

And if you have more than two minutes to spare, you can write your own letter or email to Congress. Click here for tips and samples to get started!

Multiply your impact: Call weekly, and enlist friends and family members to do the same. Forward a link to the Action Center to your address book. Host a letter and/or email-writing party on your campus, with your friends or in your community.

4. Volunteer your time and skills to the cause

There are plenty of ways to impact global poverty without leaving your city. A quick Google or GuideStar search will return many volunteer opportunities and ways to get involved with international aid organizations based in your area. These groups need volunteers for everything from packing boxes of supplies for relief efforts, to helping organize runs, fundraisers and other community events, to representing the organization by tabling events.

Hands-on volunteer projects abroad are also great — if you possess the skills necessary to be successful. Consider your skill sets when choosing a project, and avoid things like signing up to build a school if you know nothing about bricklaying. Taking part in projects in which you can’t actually be helpful can do more harm than good. Instead, focus on what skills you have to offer and choose volunteer opportunities accordingly.

Multiply your impact: Ask staff to stay in touch about upcoming activities, and volunteer regularly. Bring friends and family along. Use social media to advertise any organization events or upcoming volunteer opportunities.

5. Write a check (30 seconds!)

There are many deserving organizations working on a host of issues related to global poverty. GuideStar is a great place to search for nonprofits of interest to you, or start right here and give to The Borgen Project! Donating is a quick and easy way to make a difference.

Multiply your impact: Sign up to give monthly. Practice deferring — writing a small donation check instead of that cup of coffee, movie or dinner out you could do without. Ask the company you work for to consider donating to The Borgen Project and other global poverty organizations.

— Sarah Morrison

Sources: Nielsen, The Borgen Project, BooksForAfrica, CongressMerge
Photo: Wallpapers Craft

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Three Global Poverty Myths Debunked

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In the beginning of 2014, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation published its annual letter. This year, the letter reported three common global poverty myths that the world needs to better understand in order to inspire change. Through the report, the duo explain why the myths are false and, ultimately, why U.S. foreign aid and outreach are extremely positive and worthwhile.

The reports on the first two myths were written by Bill Gates. The first explains the inaccuracy of the claim that poor countries will remain poor forever. The second attacks the idea that foreign aid is a waste of time and money.

Melinda Gates has made falsifying the third myth her mission, as her section of the annual letter identifies and clarifies the common misconception that overpopulation will result from saving too many lives.

The Foundation encourages their readers to share the ideas of the letter. In order to promote awareness of the truth about foreign assistance, the hashtag #stopthemyth has been developed. Using the “#” symbol, a popular search tool on social media sites, supporters can effectively share information on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

The following is a list of three informative YouTube videos with the #stopthemyth label.

1. “Top 5 Myths About Global Poverty… Debunked”


Global Citizens responded positively to the #stopthemyth campaign. In this video, the organization presents five false thoughts about poverty in Africa and illustrates the truth in a creative way.

The video is a testament to the power of the #stopthemyth label. By tagging their video with this slogan, creative minds at Global Citizen can pair with the Gates Foundation to spread ideas. Visit their channel here.

2. “You Decide: Save the People or Save the Planet #StopTheMyth”


Melinda Gates narrates a video that discusses her personal project in the 2014 report. The footage of children in the video is inspirational, and the information is clear and succinct. Added visuals also contribute to its effectiveness.

The video is a product of the Gates Foundation’s YouTube channel, which has produced many more short, yet informative, clips with reasons to “stop the myth.”

3. “Bill Nye, Science Guy, Dispels Poverty Myths”


A large percentage of the American population recognizes Bill Nye the Science Guy as a trustworthy source of information. This video is no exception. In a creation of The Gates Notes channel (the YouTube account for Bill Gates’ blog gatesnotes.com) the popular science educator and television personality highlights truths about foreign aid’s place in the national budget. He also describes its potential effect on children of impoverished nations.

—Emily Walthouse

Sources: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 1, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 2, YouTube
Photo: Blogspot

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What are the Causes of Poverty?

What are the causes of poverty? There are many causes of poverty. The countries with extreme poverty have a lack of access to not only the proper foods, but health services and education as well. These countries also show a lack of inclusion, as many of the world’s poorest people do not receive any representation in the economy or in politics. The lack of education and representation creates an issue of mobility. People in developing countries do not possess the necessary means for maintaining life.

One factor that causes poverty is that many people in developing countries are willing to work, but are not given the chance to do so and therefore remain in poverty. The lack of access to education and the jobs that supply little or no wages continue to make rising from poverty very difficult to achieve. This restricts access to an income to support families and creates a barrier from the economy and other typical daily activities.

The lack of education and training for employment inhibits people living in developing nations from obtaining higher paying occupations. The problem is even greater when health education services are not obtainable. This causes high rates of teenage pregnancy and larger families. The larger the families become, the greater the risk of poverty because of the increased amount of resources needed to take care of the household.

Women are often at higher risk than men to suffer from poverty. Inequality is another cause of poverty as women are more likely to be paid lower wages than men performing the same line of work. Women are also expected to take on child raising and are restricted from seeking employment in these developing countries. This inequality creates a disadvantage for women and also prevents opportunity for more income for the household. Families with only one parent working are more likely to face poverty and they lack the opportunity to provide the proper education to their children.

There are also causes of poverty that cannot be prevented, such as drought and warfare. When drought occurs, families that rely on fruits and vegetables for harvest and income face poverty from this situation. These families can no longer provide for their families. At times, the crops can never be recovered due to lack of funds.

Another major cause of poverty is war, which can strain the economy, create safety issues and also require families to face food rations in some countries. These issues are more difficult to overcome because they can occur suddenly and can cause everlasting effects on the economy.

Alleviating the causes of poverty requires aid from developed nations, not only in the form of money, but also in the form of helping to mobilize access in these areas. Helping the education system in each developing nation can provide a better understanding of health and pregnancy. The proper training can introduce farmers to a better farming technique to survive a weather disaster. Also, a more inclusive economy and government system can bring more opportunity to the people in more rural developing areas. These developing nations can grow from poverty if given the right tools, such as access to education and the ability to participate in an economy to continue to develop and grow in the right directions. Read more about what causes poverty.

– Rachel Cannon

Sources: Global Issues
Photo: Relief Web

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Israeli Entrepreneurs and Global Development

In recent years, Israel has often been dubbed “Startup Nation” – a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation. Tel Aviv is ranked the world’s second startup ecosystem behind California’s Silicon Valley, and Israeli entrepreneurs set up around 600 to 700 million new tech companies each year. These entrepreneurs are extraordinary when it comes to implementing creative ideas and raising early stage funding, contributing to Israel’s record of having the largest venture capital industry per capita in the world.

There are certainly explanations for the success of Israel’s startup scene; a well-educated entrepreneurial population, long work hours, strong funding and high employment for new startups can all be seen as contributing factors. But while Israeli citizens are doing an incredible job of setting up their companies, they have not yet established a history of building long-lasting ones. Instead, it is common for Israeli startups to sell out to larger firms after a few years. These larger firms are almost always foreign companies, who quickly acquire the startups and convert them into research and development centers.

Lately, however, the trend appears to be shifting. Israeli entrepreneurs are making efforts to build lasting, full-fledged businesses. Additionally, more Israeli companies are striving to go public in the United States. Around 70 companies listed on the NASDAQ are Israeli or affiliated with Israel in some way – the most out of any other country, with the exceptions of only the United States and China.

Israel is also looking to use its booming startup scene to contribute to global development. A Devex article noted that new companies should focus on pressing issues like poverty and child mortality, emphasizing the need to concentrate “not only on creating the next Waze to help people navigate around traffic, but also to find solutions for some of the world’s most pressing development challenges.”

Currently, 1.2 million people live in extreme poverty, and 19,000 children under the age of five die each day. Many of those deaths are preventable, and Israel’s track record of startup victories could be the answer. Recently, 70 young entrepreneurs, innovators and international development professionals met at the 2014 Israeli Designed International Development (ID2) to discuss entrepreneurship for global development. These 70 people are at the vanguard of social entrepreneurship – designing medical devices to fight cervical cancer, developing online platforms to address high unemployment in rural areas, providing a way for the poor to design and pursue their own community impact projects.

Helen Clark, the head of the United Nations Development Program, was reportedly “blown away” by the entrepreneurial strength of the ID2 participants. And ID2’s venue of choice – Israel – was well-chosen. Israeli entrepreneurs are already making great strides toward development challenges and social betterment. For example, the Chilean government successfully alerted millions of citizens to an approaching tsunami in early April with the help of eVigilo, an Israeli startup that serves as a mass notification and emergency communication platform. With its innovative spirit and entrepreneurial clout, Israel is capable of producing many more social enterprises like this. In time, “Startup Nation” could truly make its mark in global development.

– Kristy Liao

Sources: Devex, Forbes, Wharton, JNS
Photo: Baruch College

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The Rising Middle Class in Latin America

When people are asked to picture Latin America, an image of poverty usually comes to mind. Yet while it is true that Latin America has historically been a region of high rates of poverty and income inequality, income inequality has in fact declined in 13 of 17 countries as measured by the Gini coefficient. The Gini coefficient is used to determine the level of income inequality in a country wherein a score of 0 is given to countries with complete equality (countries whose citizens have the same income) while a score of 1 is given to perfectly unequal countries (those in which one person owns all the income).

Recent data by the World Bank suggests that there has been a successful push to reduce poverty in the region, with the number of people living in extreme poverty (defined as those living on less than $2.50 a day) halved to 12.3 percent between 2003 and 2012. The largest proportion of the population, at 38 percent, includes those that are most vulnerable to falling back into poverty. This last part includes those making between $4-$10 a day. The middle class in Latin America is growing extremely rapidly at 34.3 percent of the population and is set to overtake the most vulnerable to become the largest segment of Latin America. The middle class is defined as the number of people who earn between $10-$50 a day.

Yet these numbers are a bit misleading. There continues to be a large degree of inequality between Latin Americans of different ethnicities. In Brazil, 76.4 percent of primary school children who are descended from Europeans are enrolled in school, while only 65.3 percent of indigenous or African children are enrolled. Similarly, in Chile 97 percent of families of European descent are enrolled in school, while 74.4 percent of children of indigenous or African descent are enrolled.

This is significant because as the middle class expands, it’s going to be able to expend more money on disposable goods and fuel economic growth. It will also be interesting to see what happens as the middle class demands more of a stake in the political process.

– Jeff Meyer

Sources: World Bank, IARIW
Photo: Not Adam and Steve

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How Global Communities is Empowering the Vulnerable

Global Communities Empowering the Vulnerable
Global Communities, an international nonprofit headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, works in over 20 countries around the world to bring about sustainable change for some of the world’s most vulnerable. In order to improve the lives of the poor, Global Communities engages with governments, the private sector and non-government organizations to work with communities and not just provide services for them.

Global Communities was founded in 1952 as the Foundation for Cooperative Housing and has expanded its work to Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caucasus, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the Middle East. Its work is founded on the principle of “bringing together complementary strengths and shared responsibilities to work toward common goals,” and focuses on empowering entire communities to become healthy and self-sufficient.

Global Communities boasts expertise in the following areas: Economic Development, Micro/SME/Housing Finance, Infrastructure and Construction, Governance and Urban Management, Civil Society and Capacity Development, Global Health, Humanitarian Assistance, Working With Women and Youth and Food Security and Agriculture. They apply these expertise to communities around the world to solve complex problems and strengthen weak systems.

To begin a new project, Global Communities engages a new community by holding a community-wide council meeting where local leaders direct the decision making and prioritization processes for future work. Throughout the entire process of development, community leaders are closely involved with the project to help ensure a higher likelihood of sustainability.

Once projects are complete, they are often maintained by the local government, an important reason for local government to be involved from the start. When communities do not have positive relationships with their government, for example, in post-conflict situations, Global Communities works to teach these two parties to interact constructively.

In regard to other partnerships, Global Communities works to build the technical capacity of local organizations as they tackle a problem together and advises businesses in the private sector. All the while, the goal is to eventually make the work of Global Communities unnecessary—that is, empower the community to undertake their own development without outside help.

Global Communities’ financial approach is accountable, efficient and effective, with 89.6 percent of its funds spent on programs. Each dollar is accountable to the donor, whether that donor be an individual or a government. Progress for each project is managed by donor’s standards, and regular updates are given on the Global Communities website as well as in publications. They have repeatedly won the MIX Transparency Award for their work in micro-finance as well as many awards throughout the years. Find an exhaustive list here.

After 60 years of work, Global Communities understands that the world is continually changing and always will be. These changes are acknowledged, but Global Communities will continue to thrive as an organization that recognizes its core purpose amid a changing world- to “empower the vulnerable and help them be leaders of their own development.”

– Madisson Barnett

Sources: Global Government, Charity Navigator
Photo: The Artrium