Learning in the Field U Pwint, a 40-year-old married man living in Kaung Hote Village, Taunggyi Township, participated in a soybean cultivation initiative by Shanta Foundation in 2024. This initiative changed his traditional farming practices, which previously consisted of growing crops like corn, rice, garlic, peanuts, and sunflowers. As part of the project, U Pwint [...]
Women's Group Discussion Meeting We have an exciting update from our Zambian partner villages! This spring, we are launching a new women’s empowerment program: Women’s Group Discussions (WGD). In our 4 Zambian partner villages, women will be trained to lead small group discussions in their villages. The discussion topics will range from reproductive health to [...]
Shanta Foundation is thrilled to announce Erika Van Bibb as our new Director of Development! Erika brings years of experience in fundraising, vision casting, organizational development, and equitable leadership to our team. She has a passion for empowering individuals and communities as proven through her professional experience. Erika's prowess in fundraising, curriculum development, and brand [...]
The above images are from villages slated for major infrastructure projects this year. 2025 marks a significant year for Shanta Foundation as we embark on a crucial set of infrastructure projects in 8 (out of 17) of our partner villages in Myanmar. These projects, encompassing school construction, road renovations, water systems, and bridge building, are [...]
Zambia gained its independence on October 24, 1964, after years of British colonial rule. Before independence, the country was known as Northern Rhodesia and was economically valuable to the British due to its rich copper reserves. However, the local population was largely excluded from political leadership and economic benefits. Initially, Zambians demanded greater African representation [...]
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 [...]
A gaggle of girls on a dried-up soccer field in the late afternoon laughing and dancing might look like a group of kids just being kids, but these groups can serve a greater purpose than fun just for the sake of it. The girls grab each other’s hands and step backward, all the while joyously [...]
For the first time, Shanta offered two Insight Trips in 2024. Interest for next year is also at an all-time high. Maybe you've thought about attending one yourself. If so, here is what you can expect… The trip begins with a few days in Victoria Falls. Just Google Victoria Falls and you will get a [...]
What interested you and for how long have you been involved with Shanta? Our Executive Director, Wade Griffith, is a close friend and was my Pastor in Birmingham, AL, before taking his current role at Shanta. I remember how excited Wade was about Shanta’s Development Model, passionately explaining why it was so different, and how [...]
Stella Potemkin, Shanta’s first Women’s Empowerment intern, shared a recent experience she had while working with the Fort Lewis College engineering department’s Village Aid Project in our partner villages in Zambia. You can read about the project HERE. She gathered with female People's Action Forum (our implementing partner on the ground in Zambia) staff, a [...]
Learning in the Field U Pwint, a 40-year-old married man living in Kaung Hote Village, Taunggyi Township, participated in a soybean cultivation initiative by Shanta Foundation in 2024. This initiative changed his traditional farming practices, which previously consisted of growing crops like corn, rice, garlic, peanuts, and sunflowers. As part of the project, U Pwint [...] 
Women's Group Discussion Meeting We have an exciting update from our Zambian partner villages! This spring, we are launching a new women’s empowerment program: Women’s Group Discussions (WGD). In our 4 Zambian partner villages, women will be trained to lead small group discussions in their villages. The discussion topics will range from reproductive health to [...] 
Shanta Foundation is thrilled to announce Erika Van Bibb as our new Director of Development! Erika brings years of experience in fundraising, vision casting, organizational development, and equitable leadership to our team. She has a passion for empowering individuals and communities as proven through her professional experience. Erika's prowess in fundraising, curriculum development, and brand [...] 
The above images are from villages slated for major infrastructure projects this year. 2025 marks a significant year for Shanta Foundation as we embark on a crucial set of infrastructure projects in 8 (out of 17) of our partner villages in Myanmar. These projects, encompassing school construction, road renovations, water systems, and bridge building, are [...] 
Zambia gained its independence on October 24, 1964, after years of British colonial rule. Before independence, the country was known as Northern Rhodesia and was economically valuable to the British due to its rich copper reserves. However, the local population was largely excluded from political leadership and economic benefits. Initially, Zambians demanded greater African representation [...] 
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 [...] 
A gaggle of girls on a dried-up soccer field in the late afternoon laughing and dancing might look like a group of kids just being kids, but these groups can serve a greater purpose than fun just for the sake of it. The girls grab each other’s hands and step backward, all the while joyously [...] 
For the first time, Shanta offered two Insight Trips in 2024. Interest for next year is also at an all-time high. Maybe you've thought about attending one yourself. If so, here is what you can expect… The trip begins with a few days in Victoria Falls. Just Google Victoria Falls and you will get a [...] 
What interested you and for how long have you been involved with Shanta? Our Executive Director, Wade Griffith, is a close friend and was my Pastor in Birmingham, AL, before taking his current role at Shanta. I remember how excited Wade was about Shanta’s Development Model, passionately explaining why it was so different, and how [...] 
Stella Potemkin, Shanta’s first Women’s Empowerment intern, shared a recent experience she had while working with the Fort Lewis College engineering department’s Village Aid Project in our partner villages in Zambia. You can read about the project HERE. She gathered with female People's Action Forum (our implementing partner on the ground in Zambia) staff, a [...]