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"Village Earth has been a good friend to the people of Pine Ridge and to the Knife Chief Tiospaye [extended family], they provide technical support and resources that have made it possible to continue on in our endeavor in raising buffalo. What I think is different about Village Earth from other non-profits is that they've really become well respected and well liked and have worked well with the community. Village Earth doesn't come in and tell people what to do, rather, they sit, watch, wait, and listen and when they're called upon they're there and able to help out the community. They're a good organization whose helped a lot of people on Pine Ridge."
-- Edward Iron Cloud III
Village Earth helps reconnect communities to the resources that promote human well-being by enhancing social and political empowerment, community self-reliance and self-determination. We do this by strengthening intermediate and grassroots organizations through fiscal sponsorship, networking, training, research and advocacy.
Village Earth (originally called the Consortium for Sustainable Village-Based Development or CSVBD) was born at The International Conference on Sustainable Village-Based Development hosted by Dr. Maurice Albertson and Dr. Edwin & Miriam Shinn and held from September 28 - October 2 , 1993 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Co. The conference was attended by over 250 delegates from 40 different countries who came together to discuss how to make aid more effective at reaching the grassroots. More than 200 papers were submitted forming five volumes of Proceedings. By the end of the week-long conference, the organizers were given the mandate by the participants to form the CSVBD to promote the strategies developed during the conference. The CSVBD was officially incorporated as a U.S. Federally recognized 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization in 1995 and later renamed Village Earth.
The conference, as well as the roots of the Village Earth approach, were heavily influenced by Agenda 21 which came out of the United Nations Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro on June 14, 1992. In particular, Village Earth drew from its recognition that poverty is not the problem, rather, lack of access to resources is the primary obstacle to building a better life for the majority of the world's poor. As such, the the Village Earth Approach emphasizes the role of intermediary organizations who work to mobilize village leadership and planning and from that, develop linkages to resources institutions such as governments, single sector NGOs, universities and the private sector. This type of organization is commonly referred to as a Grassroots Support Organization or GSO.
Organization name
Village Earth - Colorado Gives 365
other names
Consortium for Sustainable Village-Based Development
1993
Category
International, Foreign Affairs & National Security
Address
CAMPUS DELIVERY 1320 W110 ERC, CSU Foothills CampusOther
PO Box 797Larimer County, CO, US