Our Program Principles
Promote empowerment
We stand in solidarity with people living in poverty and support their efforts to take control of their own lives and fulfill their rights, responsibilities and aspirations.
We ensure that participants and organizations representing people living in poverty, especially women and girls, are partners at all stages in our programs.
Work with partners
We work with other organizations and individuals to maximize the impact of our programs, building alliances and partnerships with those who offer:
- Complementary approaches
- Ability to scale up effective solutions
- A demonstrated responsibility to fulfill rights and reduce poverty through policy change and implementation
We commit to working in ways that support and reinforce, not replace, existing capacities.
Ensure accountability and promote responsibility
We seek ways to be held accountable by the people we serve and partners we work with. We identify individuals and institutions with an obligation toward poor and marginalized people, and support and encourage their efforts to fulfill their responsibilities.
Address discrimination
In our programs and in everything we do we address discrimination and the denial of rights based on gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, class, religion, age, physical ability, caste, opinion, sexual orientation or any other personal trait.
Seek sustainable results
As we address underlying causes of poverty and rights denial, we develop and use approaches that result in lasting and fundamental improvements in the lives of the people we serve, particularly women and girls. We work to influence changes that are environmentally, socially and institutionally sustainable.
Do no harm
We analyze the intended and unintended impacts of our programs, encourage honest learning, and act to prevent and respond to any unintended harms. We place special focus on preventing and addressing gender-based violence in all of our programs. We hold ourselves accountable for enacting behaviors consistent with these principles, and ask others to help us do so, not only in our programs, but in all that we do.
