Controversies in Philanthropy: FSSO 119-100 Fall 2021

Effective Latin American philanthropy -7

Sustainability is one of the factors as to what makes a NGO successful long-term. Realistically an NGO will not be around forever, either until it has fulfilled its mission or it runs out of funding. Aside from creating a successful business model with managed funds, it is important to create change that will last beyond the NGO. The NGO's job is to act as the spark that starts the flame of change through a society. One example of sustainability in NGOs in Latin America is the Barrio Planta Project based in Nicaragua. This organization works closely with locals to teach children English and computer skills. What makes this organization sustainable is the low cost of running the program (which uses local teachers) and the fact it works with the youth. Preparing the next generation for anything is one of the easiest ways to show sustainability because those children go out into the world with these better developed skills then their peers to help raise their community. Another organization that promotes sustainability in their community is the NGO, Via Organica that works with farmers and consumers in Mexico. The purpose of this organization is to inform and educate farmers on the benefits of organic products and healthy eating. The benefit of this program is that ideally it is not need for a long amount of time because there is only so much educating you can do for a community. The NGO goes into the community and teaches people about nutrition who then in turn teach their neighbors and so on until the issue of unhealthy eating is fixed.

 

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