OUR MISSION
What We Do Core Operating Principles How Individuals & Communities Change

To improve the lives of disadvantaged people throughout the world one community at a time by empowering change that sustains and multiplies on its own strength.

WHAT WE DO

We help create self-sufficient families and social services in Africa, South Asia and the Americas. Through our unique Impact Development Model and access to over 1,200 indigenous project leaders, we fund and facilitate the local execution of social and economic development programs. These programs span Micro-Industry, Farm Acquisition and Management, Drinking Water and Irrigation, Literacy, Adult and Child Education, Vocational Training, Housing, Preventative Healthcare, Power, and Community Micro-Financing.

CORE OPERATING PRINCIPLES
Historically, our programs have changed the lives of millions of people by adhering to the following proven operating principles:

1. Respect for Local Culture and Needs
   We work collaboratively with over 1,200 local non-government and government organizations and individuals in South Asia, Africa and the Americas. Projects are initiated on the request of local community leaders and with the support of local governments. IPF collaborates with governments, local leadership and project leaders to determine the need, desire and content of IPF projects.
   
   
2. Focus on Individual Potential
   We begin by recognizing and honouring the natural intelligence of the poor and the potential they have to realize happiness and well-being if given the chance. Our projects focus on both adults and children. We have found that empowering parents to improve their income and education levels is the best and fastest way to support the children who are under their care.
   
   
3. Empowering Change
   We provide a holistic solution in order to create maximum impact. We combine the teaching of fundamental elements of a self-respecting, dignified life with practical strategies and tools that together, allow the poor to personally take control of the process of creating enduring change.
   
   
4. Creating Sustainable Change
   We only support initiatives that are responsibly owned and managed for the long term by organizations and individuals who reside within the communities that we serve. Our experience shows that local ownership of all programs ensures that the change lasts and sustains itself.
   
   
5. Change that Multiplies
   Our unique Impact Development Model contains a built-in multiplier effect which ensures that projects sustain and that funds continue working in new communities indefinitely. In addition, no project is complete until individuals who reside in the community have been trained to replicate the results elsewhere. All for-profit initiatives such as farms, micro-finance and micro-industry include the creation of local charities that fund new initiatives. Our results in the communities where we operate speak for themselves. Through local word-of-mouth communication alone, we have a waiting list of over 300,000 people requesting that our programs be brought to their communities. All they need is your donation, and their lives will change forever.
   
   
6. Transparency, Accountability and Measurement
   We use over 50 measures of program effectiveness and efficiency covering Literacy, Housing, Preventative Healthcare, Drinking Water and Irrigation, Micro-Industry, Farm Acquisition and Management, Power, and Community Micro-Financing. However, we find that the most telling measure of success is the impact on the personal income of community members, which typically grows by up to 300% within the first year and the fact that schools, orphanages and health centres can become self-sufficient within 3 years.
   

When IPF community projects are completed the resulting Impact on Poverty is:

• Family Incomes can increase by up to 300% within one year.
• Social services such as schools, orphanages and health centres can become 100% self-sufficient within 3 years.
• Participants teach others in their community & voluntarily set up their own local charities.
• Health improves
• Children of participants see their families and communities develop befiore their eyes, giving them realistic hope for trhe future and hands-on understanding of how to make sustainable change happen.

The Darkness of Abject Poverty	The Light of Hope and Progress
PSYCHOLOGICAL	PSYCHOLOGICAL
From: Fear Hopelessness and Despair	To: Hope and a New Vision Gratitude Increased Generosity Motivation to Act Purposefully
EDUCATION	EDUCATION
From being unable to: Read or Tell Time Do Basic Math Manage Currency	To a practical understanding of: Literacy and Numeracy Words & concepts that are most relevant to changing their lives.
HEALTH	HEALTH
From Virtually No Awareness of: How the human body works Healthy living.	To a Full Awareness of: Preventative Health Care Nutrition and Sanitation
SOCIAL BEHAVIOURS	SOCIAL BEHAVIOURS
From: Ignorance Of the rules Of society Complacency driven by hopelessness	To a New Awareness of: Social & civic rights & responsibilities Leveraging their natural sharing culture to build peaceful collaboration. How to mobilize and organize community improvement
ECONOMIC/SOCIAL SERVICES	ECONOMIC/SOCIAL SERVOCES
From Poverty Marked By: Below subsistence income due to poor crop yields and reliance on inefficient and intermittent sources of income. Lack of Training Schools, orphanages and health centres that are under-resourced and reliant on hand-outs.	To Prosperity through Knowledge of: How to leverage their inherent entrepreneurial skills. How to more than triple farm production through irrigation and crop rotation. How to start and run a small business. How to create permanently self- sufficient social services.