Bridges to Prosperity…changing lives one bridge at a time Bridges to Prosperity is a volunteer based charity that seeks to empower poor African, Asian and Latin American rural communities through footbridge building – thereby advancing personal responsibility, community public works, economic prosperity; and access to schools, clinics, jobs and markets. The most powerful [...]
Category Archives: Development Groups
Profile: The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG)
Posted by Laura on January 25, 2010
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The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water. Through a combination of business incubation, education, and outreach, they help people get technology that will better their health and improve their lives. Many rural communities and urban shantytowns in developing countries do not [...]
Profile: Partners in Development
Posted by Laura on January 21, 2010
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Serving the Poorest of Poor in Developing Countries Partners in Development, Inc. (PID) strives to help the extreme poor attain independence and whole life improvement. PID combines a variety of programs to achieve community transformation in places where hope is often lost in the cycle of poverty. Through child sponsorships, small business loans, housing opportunities [...]
Profile: Chi Chi Amor
Posted by Laura on January 5, 2010
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Chi Chi Amor is a for-profit, ecologically conscientious small business that creates beautiful children’s clothing integrating Mayan textiles with contemporary “western” fashion. As cultural anthropologists, Danielle O’Connor and Shari Feldman are compelled by a profound desire to share the history, compromised present, and unknown future of the Mayan weaving tradition. Although they take great care [...]
Profile: MayaWorks
Posted by Laura on December 10, 2009
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MayaWorks is a 501(c)3 non-profit that markets the work of Maya artisans who otherwise have no outlet for their handiwork. As a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation, MayaWorks pays artisans at prices they set, provides technical assistance and educational opportunities and meets other Fair Trade criteria. What makes MayaWorks Unique: MayaWorks is much [...]
Profile: Synergo Arts
Posted by Laura on November 12, 2009
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Synergo Arts is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), tax exempt organization based in Arizona. Its purpose is to help artists and artisans around the world use ergonomics to maximize health, income, performance, productivity, creativity, and art or craft quality. They do this through a grassroots approach to innovating and delivering ergonomics resources, with a special focus on [...]
Profile: Pava
Posted by Laura on October 29, 2009
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PAVA is a non-profit organization that works closely with rural communities in the Department of Chimaltenango, Guatemala to achieve long-term sustainable development through community-based projects and programs. A full-time staff based in the bustling town of Chimaltenango manages PAVA’s programs, providing technical expertise and coordination for infrastructure projects, environmental programs, and education. PAVA began [...]
Profile: HELPS International
Posted by Laura on October 8, 2009
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HELPS International is a US 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that partners with individuals, businesses, corporations, local and national governments to alleviate poverty in Latin America. HELPS integrated programs include: medical care, education, community and economic development, and agricultural innovations in order to improve the quality of life for the indigenous people of Latin America. HELPS International was founded in 1984 as a 501(c)(3) [...]
Profile: Engineers Without Borders – Wisconsin Chapter
Posted by Laura on September 28, 2009
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The Wisconsin Professional Partners Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-WPP) has approximately 175 members and is currently working on Guatemalan projects independently, and with four universities in the area: The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), Marquette University (MU), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), and Michigan Technological University (MTU). EWP-WPP is currently working on bridge [...]
Profile: As Green As It Gets
Posted by Laura on September 25, 2009
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As Green As It Gets™ is an incubator for small Guatemalan businesses. They provide training, technical services, marketing and financing to hard-working proprietors who need a push in the right direction to lift themselves out of poverty. They place a strong emphasis on protecting the environment and land restoration as an integral part of business management. They [...]
Profile: Behrhorst Partners for Development & Behrhorst Clinic
Posted by Laura on September 18, 2009
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The mission of the Behrhorst Partners for Development (BPD) is to strengthen and expand processes of community development and participation that enhance people’s lives. It has two major goals: To support sustainable development initiatives that improve the health and well-being of particularly vulnerable sectors of society. To promote through experience-based education an understanding of the [...]
Profile: Behrhorst Partners for Development & Behrhorst Clinic
Posted by Laura on September 18, 2009
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The mission of the Behrhorst Partners for Development (BPD) is to strengthen and expand processes of community development and participation that enhance people’s lives. It has two major goals: To support sustainable development initiatives that improve the health and well-being of particularly vulnerable sectors of society. To promote through experience-based education an understanding of the [...]
Profile: YONOSE Foundation
Posted by Laura on September 17, 2009
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The YONOSE Foundation was formed as a non-profit organization to apply basic existing technologies to the solution of problems faced by geographically isolated and/or technologically challenged communities. The problems addressed are focused on health, economic, environmental, and educational concerns. Within these parameters, YONOSE operates to expand the use of renewable resources and economically viable technologies [...]
Profile: Maya Pedal
Posted by Laura on September 14, 2009
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Maya Pedal is a non-governmental organization located in San Andrés Itzapa, Chimaltenango. They started in 1997, working with a group of Canadians from the organization PEDAL. Following a vision for sustainable development in Guatemala, they became constituted under local control as Asociación Maya Pedal in 2001. They recycle used bicycles to build pedal-powered machines, bicimáquinas, [...]
Profile: Water for People
Posted by Laura on September 9, 2009
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Water For People assists people in developing countries by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and health and hygiene education programs. Their vision is a world where all people have access to safe drinking water and sanitation; a world where no one suffers or dies from a water- or sanitation-related [...]
Profile: Water Charity
Posted by Laura on September 8, 2009
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Water Charity is a 501(c)(3) that implements practical solutions to provide safe water, effective sanitation, and meaningful health education to those in need. Although Water Charity is relatively new as an organization, they have been “doing water projects” for well over 40 years. In a short time, they have risen to be one of the [...]
Profile: Concern America
Posted by Laura on September 3, 2009
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Concern America is an international development and refugee aid organization that provides long-term, community-based development and support to economically impoverished communities throughout the world. What distinguishes the work of Concern America is its belief that the transformation of impoverished communities comes from engaging local members in the solutions to their problems. Concern America does [...]
Profile: The Equilibrium Fund
Posted by Laura on September 2, 2009
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The Equilibrium Fund is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2001. Their mission is to alleviate poverty, malnutrition and deforestation by teaching rural and indigenous women about the nutrition, uses and processing of Maya Nut (Brosimum alicastrum). Maya Nut is a nutritious, delicious, versatile and easy to harvest rainforest tree which can provide free [...]
Profile: Namaste Direct
Posted by Laura on August 24, 2009
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Namaste Direct is committed to alleviating poverty in rural communities of Guatemala by providing impoverished women entrepreneurs with microcredit loans along with a personal business mentor, vocational training workshops and informal business education. Conventional wisdom has it that there are four barriers to escaping poverty (defined as less than $2 a day income per household [...]
Profile: Mayan Families
Posted by Laura on August 18, 2009
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Mayan Families is a small, non-profit group operating in the Highlands of Guatemala. They live and work in the Lake Atitlan region. The group provides assistance and opportunities to the indigenous people of Guatemala, in particular in the Lake Atitlan area, through education, community programs and construction. For more information about Mayan Families, please visit their website, [...]