Nurturing development: Our approach

Women from a CWS-assisted cooperative near Gonaives in northwest Haiti harvest eggplants for family consumption and to sell at market. With irrigation from the co-op's new water pump, they are able to grow and harvest even during the dry months. Photo: Don Tatlock/CWS

Church World Service helps create pockets of education and innovation, enterprise and collaboration, powered by local ingenuity and nurtured by the self-respect that inevitably flows from it. Creative initiatives by impoverished people are making a difference. If we work together, we can build a world that works for all.

Our goal: Vulnerable and marginalized groups will be supported and accompanied in their efforts to build just and sustainable communities.

Our primary model for engagement in development is through partnerships with local community and/or faith-based organizations. Through facilitation, capacity building, and financial support, we seek to empower partners in the development of their own communities and nations.

Read more about our approach in our Social and Economic Development Policy.