Struggles
A Bit of News
I’ve been struggling with how to begin: how should I make this information public, and what is important to share. My hope is that through honesty and openness, your trust in me and my work with Cultivate will be strengthened. How it Began I started Cultivate in 2016 after dreaming of doing so for several…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreCultivate A Different Kind of Holiday Season
There has been so much talk about how this holiday season is going to be different because of the shipping delays and the break in the supply chain. You may not be able to order the “IT” gift in time, or the chocolate you serve every Christmas may be stuck in transit in some port…
Read MoreOvercoming Learned Helplessness
How can we support people in finding ways to overcome their dependency and helplessness even when they are not the ones to blame? The process of overcoming helplessness and dependency starts with the heart and mind, and is anchored in hope.
Read MoreChanging the Cycle: The Health Crisis of Period Poverty
Like many other students in Kenya, Jane’s life has been affected by the cycle of poverty. Although she is old enough to attend secondary school, the difficulties of purchasing basic needs have taken away many educational opportunities. Whenever she had her menstrual cycle, she would miss school. Unable to afford sanitary pads, Jane either shared…
Read MoreThe Impact of COVID-19 on the Global South
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to deeply impact our global trainees, as it has for members of our own immediate communities. Great challenges and devastation are limiting these community leaders’ access to resources for their programming as well as their own livelihoods. We asked our trainees how their communities are being impacted, and they shared…
Read MoreCultivating Hope Amidst the Pandemic
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing hardships that have come with it for the world’s poorest communities, we have pivoted our programs to support the community leaders we work with in the best way possible. Cultivate is now raising support so that our trainees, who are faced with especially tough circumstances being…
Read MoreIn Remembrance of 9/11
Today is a day of remembrance and mourning in the USA for the terrorist attacks that happened 18 years ago. The world changed after this event in so many ways, not only for Americans, but for humanity as a whole. We now live in a world where people have more fear, more uncertainty, and more…
Read MorePerseverance
Perseverance is a tough lesson to learn, but in the end, it is one of the most valuable ones. It makes you stronger, more patient, and helps you embrace what is most important. For the past several months, Cultivate has been working hard on a new project – launching a new online training platform for…
Read MoreCould 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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