We’ve just finished our first workshop of 2019 and are excited to share our experiences with all of you. Stay tuned for updates from Matt and Kristin as they get arrive back home from Mali. In the meantime, here are some photos from the project!

Last week, OMPT’s Matt York and Kristin Henderson traveled to Bamako, Mali to host our second workshop in the country in the last two months. This was OMPT’s third time working with World Vision, a faith-based organization that provides humanitarian aid throughout the world.

When you think of global development aid, what comes to mind? Usually it’s images of disaster relief, food programs and building hospitals, homes or fresh water wells but we might be overlooking something even more important.

Technology has always been at the forefront of human development. It took human civilization from hunter-gatherer to agricultural, developed modern society through the Renaissance and lead the Industrial Revolution.

If you don't live in the top ten or twenty percent of the world's population, electronics technology has almost no impact on your life. Simple conveniences like running water or electricity are unheard-of luxuries. Video is not even a concept. You and your family likely live on less than a dollar a day and your way of life is probably not that different from your ancestors’ who lived a few hundred years ago.

One of the most important things we can articulate to potential partners is the effectiveness of video in behavior change. If they don’t believe our intervention will make a difference, what reason do they have to work with us?

We’ve done a lot this year! illuminAid staff Matt, Kristin, Robin and Laurie share some of the highlights from our projects in Mali, Burkina Faso and Malawi.

The holidays are on us, the year is coming to a close and it's time to reflect back on what OMPT has accomplished over 2018.

Today, December 5th, is International Volunteer Day, a day when non-profits across the globe celebrate the incredible work volunteers do on behalf of our missions. OMPT relies on its amazing network of volunteers for so much, from small but important things like preparing our equipment kits for a workshop to editing videos and even, in the case of our Videomakers Without Borders, helping us host entire workshops--your continued support means the world to us.