Foundation for Sustainable Development
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June 1, 2010
I chose to volunteer with FSD because I strongly believe that their development model is the only real long-term solution to economic and social development. FSD knows that true and lasting development must come from within the community and thus works with local organizations that can respond to the communities needs most effectively. The people in the San Francisco office and the staff members abroad are all so enthusiastic and committed to the work they're doing, and it shows every day.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Every day in our San Francisco office we hear stories from organizations we work with about how our support has allowed their organization to expand their services, or improve their outreach, or allowed them in some way to serve more people in need.
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What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
Knowing that I am supporting the work of a development organization that is so in-line with my own beliefs about international development.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
Amazing! Everyone is enthusiastic and committed.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
change the world. With so much less than that, they are already doing so much.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
May 31, 2010
FSDs approach of bottom up community based development support is completely in line with my way I believe development is most likely to be successful. FSD should be recognized for their work with women because of the support they give to their partners in the field, which are often made up of all women. One of the grants FSD provided was to The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) is Jinja, Uganda. This project, supported by FSD intern abroad program intern Heidi Tenpas, provides members of the Budondo Food Security Group with hands-on training in tree growing and nursery management for the establishment a cooperative nursery to promote sustainable home-based enterprises. 97% of the members of this peer support group are rural women living with HIV/AIDS, most of who are primary caretakers of their large families. Formerly incapacitated by their illness and written off by their communities, these women became entrenched in states of economic dependency and insecurity. Correspondingly, widespread deforestation in Budondo is adversely impacting the local climate and diminishing the productivity of members' small-scale subsistence agriculture, further threatening their food security and perpetuating malnutrition. Now that they have regained physical strength and health following medical treatment from TASO, this tree planting project gives them a source of sustainable income security and nutrition while laying the foundations for the economic empowerment and environmental restoration of their households and communities.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
San Francisco when I supported their communications team as a in country intern.
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How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every month
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
May 31, 2010
FSD stands out from most organizations that I've come across in many ways, but their dedication to promoting sustainable development projects that wholly involve the local community is what drew me to them the most. One such organization is Sahayata. They empower women by providing skills training and small business loans to various self help groups in Udaipur, India. Supporting this kind of community-based organization is the exact direction international development organizations need to be going to ensure that the projects that are chosen to be supported are ones that will provide a solid foundation that can survive on its own.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
learning about the various community-based organizations they support and seeing that they truly stay dedicated to only choosing partner organizations that would implement sustainable projects.
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What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
learning so much about sustainable development.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
intelligent, passionate, hardworking, and dedicated.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
change the world.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
One time
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
May 31, 2010
This organization is doing important and valuable work. FSD separates itself from other international programs in its to grassroots development model. Their commitment to community buy-in and longer term interns, places emphasis on cultural and community integration ensuring that projects will continue after the intern's departure.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Their impact in small communities and the dedication of their international partners.
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What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
learning about the various approaches to sustainable development
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
incredibly warm and dedicated
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
May 30, 2010
This is a fantastic organization. The programs offered by FSD appeal to me because the interns and volunteers don't just go in and implement projects they've developed before arriving, the projects evolve from working with and learning from members of the community. FSD partners with community-based organizations, so there is significant community involvement throughout the planning and implementation of the projects. Many of the specific subject areas also incorporate women's empowerment, as many of the microfinance organizations FSD partners with work especially with women. FSD's programs offer an amazing and unique opportunity for participants to experience sustainable development work in a very hands-on way, with training by professional FSD staff in the field. The experience is perfect for someone looking to go into development work.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
talking with past participants about their experiences.
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How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
May 30, 2010
I am really impressed with the organization's continued dedication to partner with organizations that combine both microcredit initiatives and entrepreneurial/leadership training to promote capacity and self-empowerment for women throughout Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. FSD also has a propensity to partner with organizations that have long standing in their communities, meaning that their efforts are well-developed within the communal context. A great example is Women Together for Development (WOTODEV), a women's collective founded in Masaka, Uganda in 1998 that tries to address gaps between women's vocational and social experiences in rural and urban areas throughout the Masaka District.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
collecting and cataloging visual documentation of field efforts for the purpose of promoting FSD's mission and highlighting best practice partner organizations.
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How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
One time
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
May 29, 2010
FSD not only gives students and professionals great opportunity to promote sustainability but really supports the MDGs and truly makes a difference in the developing world.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I've worked at FSD as an intern and very much enjoyed it. It is a growing non-profit with fresh ideas and sustainable approaches.
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What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
the fresh ideas and support of sustainable development practices
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
open, interesting, well traveleld, and intelligent
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
revolutionize the way millions of students and professionals think and affect the lives of millions.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
April 28, 2009
With the community based approach thoroughly integrated into all of the work FSD does, they are able to support environmentally friendly projects that actually make a difference and can be sustained by the communities they work with.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
communities throughout the world.
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The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
hard working and dedicated.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
April 23, 2009
As a young professional looking for a career change, FSD enabled me to spend time in a medical setting in Kenya, practicing public health techniques, basic nursing care, and learning a host of skills that I still use today in my public health and nursing life. By introducing me to incredible people (teachers, nurses, mothers) in Kenya, by supporting me personally and professionally, and by creating and implementing a structured process that allowed me to volunteer successfully and purposefully, FSD truly changed my path.
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Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
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The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
motivated, strong, and capable individuals, all of whom I was lucky to learn from and grow with.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
do a lot of good in the world, by enabling others to volunteer and creating funding sources for grassroots organizations to fund themselves.
Ways to make it better...
it were longer.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2008
April 23, 2009
Like everyone else has said, FSD focuses on grassroots development which is the ideal form of providing sustainable initiatives. From the perspective of an intern, I can say that when FSD says that they focus on grassroots development, they mean it. They encouraged all of the interns to wait a week or two before starting any kind of project so that we could get to know our organizations and the people in them and to really find out their specific needs. I interned in Argentina and relationships are a very important part of their culture. They focus on building relationships first, therefore it would have been disastrous for me or any of the other interns to go in with a project in mind and trying to implement it without the support of the organization. I think the people at FSD have the right idea when it comes to grassroots development, it is not just development on a small scale, it is development that is wholly supported by the people where the development is taking place.
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The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
very passionate about and experienced in development issues.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2008
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