Community-Led Development
When a community partners with CWS, they are pulling themselves out of hunger or poverty. We're proud to be the toolbox they need to make sustainable change.
Throughout a CWS program, the community is at the helm. They weigh in on what their most urgent challenges are. As the program unfolds, CWS provides expert guidance, supplies and funding. Communities provide the time and effort to make the program successful. They care for shared gardens, help with construction, attend workshops, and mobilize their neighbors. When a new water system or other infrastructure element is finished, the community assumes responsibility for it.
When we invest in people who are vulnerable or under-served, they can fulfill their own goals.
The Movement for Community-Led Development
CWS has been a member of the Community-Led Development movement since 2015.
Learn more here.
Latest Updates
From Stoves to Gardens to Water to Livestock, Esmerelda’s Family is Thriving
Preparing chicken soup with basil, oregano and green bananas or the fried fish that her son and husband like is now so much easier for 27-year-old Esmerelda Robles. Today she uses less firewood, cooks food faster and saves time preparing meals in her kitchen. Before, her house was covered in soot (hollín), a black, very fine and greasy substance that …
Crop Diversity and Irrigation Mean Better Food Security for Maribel’s Family
When she first joined a CWS food security program through our local partner, CIEETS, the only crop that Maribel Espinoza Bermudez had was corn and occasionally beans. Maribel represented one of 292 families from the San Antonio community in the Carazo region of Nicaragua who are participating in this holistic food security program. She joined activities and training sessions and …
Catching Up With an Old Friend in Georgia
“I live in the village of Kheta in the western part of Georgia,” says Tamar Chumburidze. “I am a mother of three and have two grandchildren. We all live together and our main source of income is a small plot of land where we grow [bay] laurel trees, vegetables and fruit for sale. The income we make is hardly enough …