Our Principles
The fundamental beliefs and values that guide our approach to development work and shape every intervention we make in communities worldwide.
Five Core Principles
These principles form the backbone of our development philosophy and ensure that our work creates lasting, meaningful impact in the communities we serve.
People Centered
Responsive & Participatory
Multilevel Approach
Partnership Focused
Sustainable Impact
People Centered
Poverty will be reduced only if external support focuses on what matters to people, understand the differences between groups of people and works with them in a way that is congruent with their current livelihood strategies, economic realities, social environment and ability to adapt.
Community Focus
What matters to people
Understanding Differences
Diverse group needs
Economic Realities
Current strategies
Social Environment
Adaptation capacity
Responsive & Participatory
Poor people themselves must be the key actors in identifying and addressing their livelihood priorities. Developmental organizations and the state need to have effective processes and structures in place that enable them to listen and respond to the poor.
Multilevel Approach
Poverty alleviation is an enormous challenge that could only be overcome by working at multiple levels, ensuring that microlevel interventions inform and influence the development of policy and an effective enabling environment and that micro-level structures and processes support people to build on their own strengths.
Policy Level
Influencing development policies
Community Level
Microlevel interventions
Individual Level
Building on strengths
Partnership Focused
Taking advantage of and building on each other's strengths is the best way forward. Every effort needs to be made to avoid duplication of effort and build effective working partnerships both with the public and the private sectors.
Public Sector
Government partnerships
Private Sector
Business collaborations
Civil Society
Community organizations
International
Global partnerships
Sustainable Impact
Arguably there are four key dimensions to sustainability – economic, social, environmental and institutional. All are important and there is a need to maintain a balance within and among them.
Principles in Action
See how our five core principles work together to create comprehensive, sustainable development solutions
Listen & Understand
We start by understanding what matters to communities and responding to their needs
Collaborate & Partner
Working together across all levels with diverse partners to maximize impact
Sustain & Scale
Ensuring long-term impact through balanced, sustainable development approaches
Experience Our Principles in Action
See how our principled approach creates lasting change in communities. Join us in building a more equitable and sustainable world.