My Nonprofit Reviews

Outreach Int. is a favorite service (often referred to as charity) for us! We have seen amazing evidence first hand of the benefits of their program of training local individuals to be leaders of their community in Malawi, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Their approach is to build skills and confidence in the individual in order to produce leaders to work with others in their own communities! After identifying and prioritizing needs they develop a plan to achieve their goals. Women and men are involved in leadership rolls. Projects include small businesses, community gardens, farming, schools, lunch programs, small animals and many more!

Purpose, success, confidence, team work, better nutrition, organizational skills and many other attributes are the result of this well designed program for helping the poor help themselves get out of poverty permanently! There is a wonderful legacy that keeps reaching out and being passed on. Definitely a worthy organization to invest time and money in. We have loved being a volunteer for many years as well as giving financially. Time and money well spent! The smiles on the faces of people who have benefited make it all worth while! It is a service, not a charity!!

To those who live in poverty, Outreach International is their ticket out! It is a slower process than handouts, but because it teaches reliance on the community, the team and the individual, it builds programs that are sustainable and lasting. These programs come from within the community or team where they empower and build confidence. We have witnessed the joy and pride in the people who are living and working within the communities and we have seen the end result (gardens, wells, houses, etc.)! These communities are vibrant, children are attending school, people have jobs, families have food and life is good!
Outreach also realizes that there are times of natural disaster such as the recent typhoons in The Philippines when time doesn't permit the process to unfold, in which case a handout is necessary. They are on top these situations also.
With a low overhead budget, dedicated volunteers and a nine-step process (Participatory Human Development Process) that is proven (and sought out by other organizations), we know that Outreach International is exemplary and a Great Non-Profit!

As a hand up rather than a hand out organization, Outreach International's approach is to teach indigenous leaders to help their community identify and prioritize their needs and then find a sustainable way to meet the most urgent needs while, at the same time, training new leaders. Education of community leaders and schools for children are a top priority for Outreach. It has been my husband's and my privilege to serve nearly 20 years as either regional advisors or local representatives, sharing the story of the amazing work of OI. We have, as we have traveled, visited various communities where the testimonials of positive impact have been eagerly related as well as visually apparent! Peace corps service was our first face to face exposure to the terrible plight of those living in poverty. Vaguely aware of but not a contributor to or volunteer for Outreach International until our first hand encounter with poverty, we returned from Peace Corps and became active supporters and contributors. We love that they build confidence, instil dignity, promote the worth of persons, teach sustainability and believe education and justice is the path to peace!

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