Guiding Principles
Focus on empowerment. Communities know what they need to succeed, and the most successful projects are those that address the issues that community members identify as being the most pressing. Because of this, PFAI projects are all “for the people, by the people.” Projects are based on needs-assessments where community members and PFAI staff work together to document the needs and capacities of communities and develop the best plan of action to address those needs. PFAI believes that capacity building and empowerment should be key principles of development.
Ensure the equitable treatment of women. In many places in the world, women are viewed as second-class citizens. PFAI works with women to create culturally and globally relevant solutions aimed at ending the marginalization of women and gender based violence. Efforts include supporting local women’s groups, promoting gender equality through education and facilitating sustainable economic development projects for women.
Listen to youth. Youth (between 18 and 30) make up the majority of the population, yet they are often excluded from the development and decision-making processes. PFAI works with youth to identify how youth perceive they could best participate in projects. Youth are the future of any community and must therefore be included in any development decision. Ultimately, they are the ones who will one day have to take over all the long-term projects.
Include marginalized people. As areas recover from conflict, most development projects are focused on rebuilding governments and economic initiatives. However, people with disabilities and people stigmatized by HIV/AIDS, for example, are often unintentionally excluded from the development process. PFAI strives to ensure that all projects benefit and include all people in the community, particularly marginalized people. PFAI believes that the success of any project can be assessed by the success of its most vulnerable participants.
Demonstrate environmental responsibility. With all of our projects, PFAI seeks to minimize its ecological footprint. Since most of PFAI’s projects tend to be in fragile ecosystems devastated by years of war and conflict, PFAI attempts to limit environmental damage, and where possible, to revitalize ecosystems (planting trees, etc.). All agricultural programs, for example, utilize organic production and promote the harvesting of traditional crops. Any construction is done using local materials.
Coordinate with government and stakeholders. PFAI works with every level of government. From the federal governments of Canada and Uganda, for example, to locally organized cooperatives and community groups, PFAI ensures a strong working relationship with all groups in order to reduce obstacles and increase effectiveness and relevance of all projects.
Support traditional, fair systems of justice. In the Pader district of northern Uganda, PFAI uses a process of justice based on the mato oput system that has been used among families for generations in Uganda. This system provides a framework for rebuilding broken relationships, restoring community values, and rebuilding trust through a victim/offender dialogue process which focuses on empathy, respect, forgiveness, and compassion. Being flexible, it’s easily adapted to local traditions and customs for use in other regions or with other local traditions. PFAI also strives to mitigate future violence through violence prevention and conflict resolution workshops.
Registered Charity Number: 85776 9558 RR0001
