After more than fifteen years of supporting multidisciplinary humanitarian projects alongside our partners in the developing world, illuminAid has hosted almost 50 video education workshops in 28 different countries. Our non-governmental organization (NGO) partners are engaged in community projects ranging from basic childhood education to public health communication to sustainable agriculture training. Because our video education intervention can be utilized by local experts to meet such a diversity of needs, the ways in which illuminAid can make an impact are endless.
With so many opportunities for fostering positive change, we’ve often been asked: How does illuminAid determine our next project? Put most simply, we go wherever the need is greatest.
When we’re looking for our next project, illuminAid’s first priority is building relationships. In working to solve any complex problem (like humanitarian work so often aims to do), we are strongest when we approach challenges through collaboration and partnerships. illuminAid also acknowledges that localization (or the process of working with decision-makers located inside the very communities we serve) is essential to creating more equitable and sustainable change. To this end, illuminAid conducts outreach to change-making organizations located in developing countries so we can learn from the source about the needs of their communities.
When we build relationships with NGO leaders who share our passion for education and development, we strengthen the global network of visionaries working to empower marginalized communities. Sometimes, these relationships immediately present opportunities for illuminAid to get involved, and other times they become friendships that lead to future referrals or connections. In either case, each relationship has inherent value in strengthening the global fight for equality.
Relationship-building can occur through thoughtful outreach as well as through our participation in the specialized fields to which illuminAid belongs. By attending conferences and industry gatherings and participating in speaking engagements, illuminAid has the privilege of sharing how our innovative video education initiative contributes to advancements in ICT4D (Information and Communications Technology for Development) and SBCC (Social and Behavior Change Communication). These terms, while unfamiliar to most of us, are widely used in the international development sector and represent unique opportunities for organizations to scale their impact. By championing these solutions, we further our outreach goals and create opportunities for new projects.
illuminAid aims to complete video education projects in the 70 least-developed countries (LDCs) in the world to empower our partners to reach more beneficiaries with life-changing knowledge. To do this, we make building strong relationships the cornerstone of our program outreach efforts. Through connection and collaboration, the sky’s the limit for the good we can do together.
