In addressing the root causes of poverty, one can not ignore that poor people are often poor because they are isolated, marginalized, disconnected and kept in ignorance and are thus unable to effectively influence and participate in decisions that affect them directly.

By training and equipping local organizations, and providing them with tools that allow their voice and concerns to be heard, communities are able to exercise true democracy with true representation and true participation.

Palms for Life Fund supports projects that promote the establishment of local organizations as part of other development efforts or that provide existing organizations with the tools and equipment that they require in order to function effectively. This includes very practical solutions that have already been shown to work such as ensuring adequate infrastructure and communication equipment, access to technology, information and training.

In many cases, this means providing local organizations with training skills and material, as well as simple equipment such as telephone lines, computers with internet access, offices and means of transportation. It also means connecting local organizations with each other and therefore allowing them to gain force and authority at the higher levels of decision. It also entails providing local organizations with necessary advice and capacity to establish themselves as legal entities.

Truly empowered local organizations help design local solutions in a participatory mode and take democratic decisions that benefit the group. They are recognized as valid interlocutors with full capacity to interact with donors, local authorities, government and their own constituency. For instance, in the case of Madagascar, a country prone to natural disasters, local organizations have been trained and empowered to help protect the natural resources and organize their communities to reduce the families’ vulnerability to food insecurity. In Ecuador, a local farmers’ association in the remote rainforest teaches its members ecological farming techniques that protect the environment.

There is no other way to bring poor communities out of poverty without the right democratic structure in place that is fully empowered and represents people at the very grass-root level and brings those voices and concerns up to the highest decision level.