POVERTY IS THE PITS. A HANDOUT "I'm praying we get another hurricane so the people in my village will get food."
vs.
A WAY OUT "Now when I look for solutions, I see myself."
–Woman in a Malawi village on Outreach International's work in her community.
–Woman in Nicaragua referring to handouts they've received from NGO programs. .
COMPUTERS An NGO (Non Governmental Organization) provides an African village with computers; however, seeing food as a more immediate need, village members sell the devices in parts for money.
In the Philippines, where an impoverished community develops a business, a computer supply gives the entrepreneurs the capability to expand their business even further.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES In Malawi, a community builds a mud-brick school house themselves. The building becomes a monument for community pride and ownership.
When an NGO donates pencils, supplies last only two weeks in schools before parents have to buy replacements— a luxury few can afford.
RICE An NGO donates rice to an impoverished community, but the supply unwittingly destroys the market for local rice-growing farmers.
In DR Congo, a village creates a local rice mill. Today, the community-run mill generates thousands of dollars in annual profit.
WATER In Bolivia, a community builds a water well with infrastructure to create running water to each house. Village members are knowledgeable of the repair process and are able to protect it.
An NGO donates a water source to a community in need. After 8 months, the NGO is long gone and the well breaks down with no one trained to fix it.
TRANSPORTATION In India, a community builds better roads to get in and out of their village. Building sewers and repairing tunnels, they address the root of the problem.
An NGO provides a village with bikes for transportation to a local hospital. With poorly maintained roads and no regard for infrastructure, the donation results in flat tires and rusted bike frames.
When an NGO donates cheaply-made stoves to a community, but neglects to listen to community needs, children often burn themselves, smoke fumes are trapped in homes and firewood supplies quickly deplete.
COOKING STOVES
In Nicaragua, local trained laborers build safe, smokeless stoves that are manufactured to use 3-5 times less firewood and create less fumes in the house. They also show women several different ways to cook nutritious foods.
MEDICAL CARE An NGO builds a large hospital to serve a five-mile radius. But because it takes an entire day to get there and be seen, village members from surrounding communities must choose between health and food for their families.
More often than not, NGOs decide what the greatest need is for an impoverished community rather than asking the community members themselves. Women are the least heard.
Years of handouts trap those in poverty, causing them to continually rely on others for answers.
In Malawi, children's "birth-to-5" clinics teaching disease prevention and providing medicines are set up to visit local poverty-stricken villages.
TOWN MEETINGS
Outreach International meets with communities to hear concerns and help prioritize solutions. Community roles take shape and women's voices are heard.
When villages organize, identify needs and communicate problems, it brings a brighter future for generations to come. The community becomes the solution.
OUTREACH INTERNATIONAL WHERE KNOWLEDGE THRIVES, POVERTY DOESN’T.