SUPPORTING GRASSROOTS WORK

World Neighbors helps people develop, manage and sustain their own programs. Most programs begin using locally available resources and simple, low-cost technologies. As people gain skills and confidence, local leaders and organizations emerge to carry on the work, multiply results and participate in coalitions advocating for wider change. World Neighbors role is to strengthen these basic human and organizational resources for long-term development.

World Neighbors stays in a program area until communities and local organizations become strong enough to maintain their self-help activities. The average time is between eight to 10 years. The goal of this work is to achieve lasting improvements in peoples' lives, not quick fixes that depend on outside assistance.

In approaching gender, World Neighbors enters into a process of sensitive dialogue with community leaders. Since gender inequalities are usually seen within a community as "normal," the community does not readily identify the problems that stem from this. So World Neighbors staff and partners not only listen to villagers as they express their needs, but they also ask strategic questions and contribute their ideas. By dialoguing with community leaders prior to a needs assessment, we are able to bring gender issues to the fore more quickly.

WOW! membership fees and donations support this and other World Neighbors work on local community development in some of the poorest regions of the world, and improve the lives of women and their families.