You might wonder why Shanta’s village partnerships take six whole years. (we get this question a lot!)
Yes—it’s a big commitment! But every part of the process is intentional, with everyone in the village fully involved. We focus on things like leadership skills (a time-consuming educational process), economic development through projects and community banking, empowering women, education, and health initiatives. These are all about helping communities lift themselves out of extreme poverty for good. Here is how the partnership unfolds:
We describe years 1 and 2 as Shanta leading through training and education. We help the community organize committees, map their resources, design their development path, and create a plan for 100% participation in collecting funds to start their community bank. There is no community bank until each family contributes to the start-up costs. After that money is collected, Shanta provides a 2:1 match so that the bank is sufficiently capitalized to catalyze entrepreneurial activity. Once the bank is operating, things start moving fast!
Years 3 and 4 are likened to proceeding with training wheels. 
Villager roles are defined, and leadership is strengthened. Rather than Shanta’s project officers merely leading by example, villagers are now comfortable using their voices and trusting their decision-making to proceed into the final years of the partnership, but we are there for reinforcement. Typical projects launching in the middle of the partnership include alternative agriculture and/or animal husbandry (a livelihood project), women’s group businesses, larger infrastructure projects, and scholarship funds. We check in regularly to make sure things are on track.
Year 5: By now, the village is almost ready to fly solo! The Village Development Team is in charge, and we focus on making sure they’re set to continue their projects. They’re learning to run their own assessments, handle budgets, and track progress.
In year 6, it is time to celebrate! We help the village plan for long-term success, say our goodbyes, and watch them carry on the work. But we will check back in for post-graduation assessments to see how things are going.
Post note: In three-year intervals post-graduation (3, 6, and 9 years after partnership), assessments are conducted to evaluate the sustainability and effectiveness of the Shanta partnerships. This is done through focus group interviews with the current Village Development Team as well as random interviews with residents.
