World Vision has a long history of implementing programs that empower people to improve their incomes, helping them to help themselves out of poverty. Today, many of our income improving initiatives are recognised as best practice, and our people the subject matter experts.
To improve incomes, World Vision focuses primarily on community economic development activities. These activities may include:
- Providing vocational training and continued education
- Training in farming practices to increase crop yields
- Providing small loans to create and expand businesses
- Organising cooperatives that can fulfil bigger, more reliable orders, and buy and sell in new markets
- Supporting women farmers and business owners
- Providing access to and training in the use of technology
- Developing marketing skills to help grow small businesses
- Creating access to new local and international markets
- Promoting fair trade
World Vision's approach to community economic development is holistic, participatory and empowering.
Local government, the private sector, the not-for-profit sector and the community are given the opportunity to collaborate on initiatives that stimulate economic growth.
Our projects are designed to address each community’s particular needs and sensitivities. Developmental experts partner with local stakeholders to help the community understand its economic challenges and identify practical, innovative solutions.
Our projects take a long term view because it is only through improving incomes in a sustainable way that lasting changes can be made in areas like diet and nutrition, health and literacy.
Improving incomes has a vast range of positive implications. People have greater resilience to disasters. Governments have increased funding for projects and programs to sustain communities. There can be an end to subsistence living and hope for a better future. Decent work builds self-esteem and well-being.
Historically, much of World Vision’s economic development work has been delivered through Child Sponsorship Area Development Programs, but in 2009, World Vision’s SEE Solutions program was launched.
SEE Solutions supports a range of innovative projects that provide people and communities with the support, tools and training they need to work their way out of poverty and into self-sufficiency. You can discover more about See Solutions here.