The vision of Poverty Stops Here is to end extreme poverty in our world.

Our mission in the communities we work with is to see 100% of the community have access to clean water and sanitation resources and also 100% of eligible members of the community have access to business services (loans and training) to help start a new or expand a current business thereby improving their standard of living. We will also be working on Education initiatives where there is already existing infrastructure.

How We Work

Poverty Stops Here seeks to understand the socioeconomic status of a community by conducting baseline studies and assessments. After compiling and analyzing this data, PSH works with local organizations and the community to build the capacity to execute and monitor investments in two core areas - clean water and sanitation, and the provision of business services (loans and training) to small businesses entrepreneurs.

Our practical development goals in each community we work with are to see 100% of the community have access to clean water and sanitation resources and also 100% of eligible members of the community have access to business services (loans and training) to help start a new or expand a current business, thereby improving their standard of living.

Core Investment Areas

Baseline Study and Assessment - Poverty Stops Here, with the help of local partner organizations, conducts baseline studies and community assessments. These assessments are pivotal in the work that we do as they give us a picture of the socioeconomic status of the community. Baseline studies will capture strengths of a community as well as development areas. The results of these studies help us create a plan that will guide our strategic investments in the communities we partner with.

Clean Water and Sanitation - According to the United Nations Internaional Children's Education Fund (UNICEF), "almost fifty per cent of the developing world's population - 2.5 billion people - lack improved sanitation facilities and over 884 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources. Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services, coupled with poor hygiene practices, kills and sickens thousands of children every day, and leads to impoverishment and diminished opportunities for thousands more." - UNICEF In order to successfully implement clean water and sanitation initiatives in a community, PSH will explain the importance of proper sanitation by holding sanitation and hygiene seminars. We will also build boreholes and latrines after the community understands the importance of these initiatives. Finally, we will create a system whereby community members can fix the infrastructure when they get broken. All these investments are an attempt to create sustainable and independent communities. Our strategic decision to invest in clean water and sanitation initiatives comes from the exponential positive health impact of introducing clean water and sanitation into a community.

Microloans and Small Business Investment - Giving people the ability to generate wealth has always been the surest path to sustained economic development. PSH is committed to investing in small business ideas by giving out loans to people in the communities we partner with. In addition to the loans, PSH will set up cooperatives and educate people on saving, running a business, and budgeting. The loans given to people in these communities will ultimately be reinvested into the community in order to increase the economic activity and wealth of the community.

Education - PSH assesses the education infrastructure in communities and decides whether or not to enter partnership with the community based on the existing education infrastructure. At the moment, PSH does not have the capacity to initiate a full scale education program so we must partner with an existing set-up. There has been a positive correlation between nutrition and school attendance so all* our programs will involve a nutrition component (http://www.wbur.org/npr/149867092/indian-engineers-build-a-stronger-society-with-school-lunch-program).

[* unless alternative nutrition plans have been set up].

The successful implementation of these initiatives in the PSH partner communities will require determination and patience from all stakeholders - PSH donors, volunteers, executive board, partner organizations, and most importantly, people in the community. We have learned that true development is an evolutionary process that relies on strong relationships and honest feedback and PSH is committed to engaging in both.

Find out how you can help here.
View our full policy document here.