Getting ready and clearly have our priorities straight....glitter additive for car paint has been ordered!
Haim
Amanda
taking the unpaved road, getting lost on the way and living in the moment.
Heifer International
Heifer International works with communities to strengthen local economies. Our values-based, holistic and community development approach focuses on: Increasing Income and Assets, Food Security and Nutrition, and Environment. We know that no single organization and no number of isolated projects can address the systemic causes of poverty and hunger. Our approach involves enhancing the capacity of vulnerable small-scale farmers, especially women, to secure their livelihoods. Multiplied by strong social capital and women’s empowerment, our work results in a sustainable solution to world hunger and poverty. A Heifer program is a set of strategically connected projects aligned with a long-term commitment that empower small-scale farmers to achieve socially, economically and environmentally secure livelihoods. Because our programs are constructed to address the specific needs of a region, they can vary in size and geographic scope. They can exist within a single country, or span across national borders to help as many people as possible. This focus on scalability allows our work to have the greatest, most lasting impact possible. Our programs are designed to unify our smaller projects to address large-scale, regional challenges. Each initiative is developed using a five-pronged programmatic approach.
Peace Direct
Peace Direct believes that local people have the power to find their own solutions to conflict. Their mission is to work with local communities to stop violence and build sustainable peace. We believe in: Non-violence: Conflict is a normal part of life. Violence is not. We believe that non-violent action is not only the morally right thing to do; it is also highly cost effective, scalable and strengthens the prospects for long term peace. Local action: We believe that local people are central to the resolution of their own conflicts. Peace is rarely sustainable if it is imposed on people from the outside. Partnership and respect: The relationships we build with organisations around the world are based on the principles of equality and respect. We see ourselves as an extension of their organisations and have more to learn from them, than they do from us. We do not establish country offices or employ expatriate staff. We believe that the current structure of the aid system is flawed, and that peace is not sustainable if imposed from the outside. We don’t arrive in conflict zones, or leave them — instead we find creative ways to support local organisations to implement their own work, helping them to tackle the root causes of conflict—like prejudice, fear, and poverty. Locally owned, non-violent action is cost effective, scalable and strengthens the prospects for long-term peace. By partnering with local organisations in areas of conflict, we help to support already-impactful peacebuilding projects and work to stop war and save lives. Local people have been sidelined in efforts to stop war and build peace. We want to shift the balance of power and resources towards those who have the deep local knowledge of a conflict, and the long term commitment to fight for peace. We believe that when local efforts to build peace are acknowledged and supported, the world will be a more peaceful place. Here’s the progress we’ve made since 2004: peacebuilding work with 16 local partners supporting action to resolve conflict locally in 12 countries https://www.peacedirect.org/us/where-we-work/