Your questions

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What is poverty?

Poverty is hunger. Poverty is losing a child to illness caused by lack of sanitation and dirty water. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job. Poverty is powerlessness. Poverty is lack of representation and freedom.

Our objective is the alleviation of poverty. This is not possible unless people are healthy, and to achieve good health, sanitation and clean water are vital.

Want to know a bit more? Download our poverty leaflet (179kb PDF)

For some poverty facts and statistics, visit the Global Issues website.

What makes you different?

We address the root cause of poverty.

Ill health caused by inadequate sanitation and dirty water is a major factor keeping people trapped in the cycle of poverty, so our solution is to deal with these problems first. With these foundations in place, people have the energy, confidence and strength to work their own way out of poverty. We believe the most effective method of aid is to help them find independence. Without dependence upon continual handouts, people gain the confidence, self respect and dignity they deserve.

We aim to alleviate poverty in a manner that is sustainable and environmentally friendly, which does not undermine culture and traditions.

What makes you efficient?

We work directly with local communities, assessing precisely what they need through community meetings and self-help groups. As we are a small charity, we can respond specifically to the needs of the local people (rather than indirectly through Governmental or large NGOs), thus enabling a connection to be established between those making the donation and those benefiting from it.

Wherever possible we use locally sourced materials for our projects, and employ local labour to carry out construction.

To find out more visit this page

Are your projects environmentally sustainable?

Most people are now aware that emissions don’t just affect us and our local environment, but have a global impact on climate change. Some of the worst hit people are the world’s poorest, and we are doing what we can to solve these problems by building solid foundations for the future through eco-friendly projects. These are sustainable and will have a positive outcome that will last for decades, as well as help save lives. Through sanitation and water provision we can give people the basis of a healthy life.

We assess the environmental impact and benefit of every action we undertake, and will not consider any project that isn’t environmentally sustainable or fully respectful of local traditions and culture.

To find out more about the environmental nature of our work, please visit this page.

Isn’t it over-population that’s the problem?

Over-population is a real problem affecting the world today, but poverty alleviation is key to addressing it. As we like to say, ‘poverty breeds population’; when people are in poverty, child mortality rates are high and women are often un-empowered and undervalued. When poverty is alleviated, children stop dying and birth rates fall. Much research has also shown that when women become empowered they realise their rights within their home, community and workplace, and will often choose not to have so many children. This is partly why it is so important to focus upon the empowerment of women in poverty alleviation.

Where does my money go?

We aim to keep our administration costs as low as possible, so the maximum amount can get directly to the projects. To find out more, visit our financials page.

If you still have any unanswered questions please feel free to contact us