There are a lot of ways to donate money this holiday season. However, there are very few opportunities for donations to go directly to a project in a developing country without any middleman or bureaucracy. Let me introduce you to the Peace Corps Partnership Project (PCPP).
The PCPP grant offers an opportunity for people to donate directly to projects that are carried out by Peace Corps Volunteers around the world. Every cent that is donated goes directly to the volunteer running the project. The volunteer works with the local community and has to account for all of the money spent on their specific program.
Currently Peace Corps Volunteers are looking to fund over 170 grassroots projects in 45 different countries. Volunteers are working to open doors in local villages in agriculture, business development, education, environment, gender and development, health and HIV/AIDS, IT, malaria prevention, municipal development, water sanitation and youth development.
Being in a village and talking to people about what they need most can be one of the best ways to determine what projects will be beneficial. Volunteers' ideas cover a wide spectrum. A volunteer in Benin is looking to build 2 classrooms for students to have a place to learn. Another volunteer in Cameroon is attempting to build an orphanage for children with disabilities. Volunteers in the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, Tanzania, Suriname, Senegal and Vanuatu are hoping to provide latrines, sanitation and/or water systems to provide basic necessities to people in need. In Ukraine, projects are targeted to teach English. In Mali, Malawi, the Philippines and Swaziland there is a focus on libraries and books. Multiple volunteers are focusing on empowering young girls and women. In Botswana, volunteers are hoping to renovate a home-based care center and build a garden to teach children how to grow vegetables. These are just a few of the projects that target some specific community partnerships to provide essential needs around the world.
Each volunteer works closely with the community to help them advance a shared vision that will hopefully last for a long time.
My wife and I recently had a PCPP grant funded to provide economic empowerment for women. An extremely talented and driven young woman started her own fashion design company in Botswana and wanted to teach other women how to sew and manage a business. She didn't have the funds to do this, so she asked us if we might be able to help. We put together a plan, then shared it on the Peace Corps website and after a short time period of letting our friends and family know about the project we received funding. This gifted woman will be training 15 other women and hiring some of them next year.
This is just one example of how PCPP works. Not every volunteer needs to bring in extra money to help with projects like this. A lot of us are busy with different work, but when a volunteer does decide to start a partnership like this he/she is extremely committed to making it successful.
As you consider donating this holiday season, please think about the opportunity to provide assistance directly to people in developing countries. The Peace Corps Partnership Project may be the best thing for you. Learn more about all of the projects and how to donate here. You can also donate to a specific country fund here.