The Challenges of Funding for International Development 

There are many challenges international development organizations face. Often, they work in a context where poverty and oppression are commonplace for most members of the community, and where the lack of infrastructure, good governance, and human resources creates even more difficulties. However, for most nonprofits and NGOs, having adequate funding is still the biggest challenge…

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Trying a Different Approach

How can we best work with communities and their members to produce lasting change? We must ensure they are the ones driving and determining what happens to their community.

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A Year in Review

This past year has been significant in our journey as an organization. Fifteen community leaders participated in our program. These leaders are now empowered and equipped with knowledge and skills, which they are using in their social impact programs. Thousands of people worldwide are being impacted by their work. As we invested into these leaders, we…

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This is Us

We exist to empower and serve community leaders across the globe. They have the vision, passion, and dedication, we simply help them with the resources, knowledge and skills to help make it a reality. Learn more about our work with Arnika, a young woman in India. When you support Cultivate, you are supporting our efforts…

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Two are Better Than One

This weekend I had the opportunity to collaborate with some very intelligent and insightful people, and was reminded that two are always better than one. A dozen is even better! On Friday night, I was the guest of honor at a beautiful dinner party hosted by Kate Shannon of Merrill Lynch and Christy Morrell-Stinson of…

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Could I Be Your Child?

Gasilda is an 11-year-old Mozambican girl who is already pregnant by her 70-year old husband. Her story is horrific, but it must be told. Consider if she was your child. What if your poverty forced you to a similar choice? Maybe such choices do not happen in America, but should we ignore them only because…

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Prepare For What’s To Come

Working towards something that has not yet arrived is tough. You must have a strong vision to keep you moving, and when your energy falters, you must have something to cling to just so you can keep moving. That’s where I feel right now. I spend so much of my time and energy working on…

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Third World, The Needy, & Black Panther

In the kind of work that I do, I often have to think about how language can either harm or help someone. When I’m talking to someone or come across a statement that says third world or the needy, there’s a part of me that just shatters. I feel a pain inside. I hate those words.…

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Make Your Dreams a Reality

In December, I graduated from university with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations. I joined clubs that interested me, I studied foreign languages—Russian and French—and I completed a minor in Peace and Conflict studies. In addition to the dozens of free seminars offered each semester, I had great professors and a career services…

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