Learn more about Strategies for International Development (SID)

1. Tell us about your mission.

The mission of Strategies for International Development (SID) is to design, prove, and promote better methods for eradicating rural poverty.

2. How is The West Foundation supporting your mission?

The West Foundation has partnered with us over the years to fulfill our mission in Guatemala’s poorest regions. First, with coffee farmers in the western highlands and now with coffee farmers in the northern highlands. When The West Foundation chose to focus on women and girls, that encouraged us to think about them as well. In a smaller area of the northern highlands we added a women’s component to the coffee program and in the last two years we have expanded our reach to cover a whole region of thousands of coffee-growing families and thousands of women.

3. Considering your impactful work to eliminate poverty, how is The West Foundation’s philanthropic support providing you with sustainability and mobility?

In 2018, with the support of The West Foundation, SID started a new regional approach in the northern highlands. With this new approach, we were able to help over 18,000 small farmers.

Coffee is the major cash crop of the region. The core activities of the program include:

1. Farmers define the practices they need to adapt to graduate from poverty
2. Local officials promote the practices among the general population
3. Conduct demonstration fairs in the practices
4. Provide twice-monthly technical assistance to early-adopter communities that become an example to others
5. Gives special assistance to women

4. How are you realizing your potential?

We designed a new idea that fulfills our mission in ways which we have not before: to help farmers conserve their natural resources at the same time as they increase their income. We have also helped them adopt business practices and we helped women increase their personal growth, but now we are doing it at a large scale. This innovation brings assistance to thousands of farmers who never had any help before. This is very important because, a lot of small farmers around the world do not have access to technical assistance.

5. What’s one important thing you want others to know about your organization?

75% of the world’s poor are small farmers. We can do a lot for farmers to help increase their income. Agricultural projects are also great vehicles for addressing the conservation of natural resources and women’s equality.

6. How can people reading this help you?

Learn about SID and participate in our annual individual donor campaign, Friends of SID.

7. What are your deepest needs as an organization?

To enhance our visibility and find channels to spread our ideas

Photo courtesy: Strategies for International Development (SID)