Handshakes not Handouts
Who we are
In the 21st Century, 1.3 billion people live in multidimensional poverty, grappling with a combination of hunger, malnutrition, poor health, illiteracy and a lack of education, lack of food security, water and sanitation, homelessness, disempowerment, unemployment, poor quality work and low pay, threat of violence, and living in environmentally hazardous areas, among others.
PFP is a non-profit that tackles this by investing in the vision of the community. We work with them on practical solutions that meet their needs, create economic opportunities, and build their resilience, capacity and capability to run the venture after we exit.
We call this approach #handshakesnothandouts.
What we do
We design and implement projects that are financially operationally and environmentally sustainable, and built on a backbone of renewable energy and clean technologies. Our projects are led by the community and deliver to their needs, enabling access to better healthcare, education and economic opportunity for the community.
How we work
We work through alliances with well-established experts in technology and project implementation, partnering with international and local charities as well as NGOs. Projects outputs, outcomes and metrics are defined at the outset with project stakeholders, with reporting and reviewing stages throughout. PFP is run primarily by volunteers, so that funds we raise go to the community projects we invest in.
Let’s take an example:
Sustainable Development Goal 7 from the 2030 agenda for sustainable development aims to deliver access to affordable, reliable sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. Progress is slow, and those remaining without electricity are the most needy, vulnerable and poor.
More than 2.6 billion people worldwide still do not have access to clean cooking methods. This is felt most acutely in sub-Saharan Africa where it results in almost 500,000 premature deaths per year.
Millions of people rely on dangerous and expensive cooking methods such as burning kerosene. This is bad for the environment and promotes a spiralling cycle of disease, disability and extreme poverty.
PFP provides communities with clean, modern cooking facilities. In Paorinher, PFP built facilities that use waste to generate fuel for cooking. Our Nishati project offers smokeless cookstoves and solar power to women's groups in Kenya and Uganda.
Participating groups are trained in catering and business skills to create an income base. This income stream enables communities to repay the cost of the equipment in small installments.
Payments are less than the cost of the kerosene, not placing financial burden on the household. This fosters pride and empowerment in the community, creating a savings culture that makes for sustainable, long-lasting change.
Additional income goes into a community fund that can enrol more people to join, or initiate new project to help the community. This approach has given 1000s of individuals safer and brighter futures.
Our Theory Of Change
Learn more by visiting our projects page
See how we’ve supported more communities using PFP’s #handshakesnothandouts principle
