Where to next: OneVillage Partners Strategic Expansion Initiative
The secret is out! OneVillage Partners is expanding its work across ALL of rural Sierra Leone!
For the last 12 months, we have been developing and tailoring our expansion plans with input from staff, Board Members, volunteers, and community members. Insights and ideas fell into place like the pieces of a giant puzzle, and we are so excited to share with you our ambitious plans.
Opportunities for individuals in Sierra Leone to realize their full potential are stifled by day-to-day challenges brought on by multidimensional poverty. Multidimensional poverty is complex and comprised of a lack of basic human needs and the broader systems to support the fulfillment of those needs. In Sierra Leone, 64% of the population lives in multidimensional poverty.
Sierra Leone’s complex history and today’s challenges fall far short of defining the country and the individuals within. Sierra Leone is a country filled with potential, one that we at OneVillage Partners define, not by the unfortunate events of history, but rather by the assets within and the opportunities that exist for its future.
OneVillage Partners recognizes Sierra Leone’s potential. For 12 years, our work has been concentrated in Eastern rural Sierra Leone in the Kailahun district. Our 26 community partners in this region have seen significant progress across their communities in reducing multidimensional poverty for individuals and families. We have seen the impact that comes from investing in people and in local solutions. The evidence has led us to double-down on our commitment to community-led development throughout rural Sierra Leone. To build on the success of our model in the Kailahun district, we plan to expand our reach across all 14 rural districts throughout Sierra Leone by 2027.
Here’s how we’ll do it.
First, early on in our planning, we recognized that this commitment would require us to craft new and updated mission and vision statements to guide our work in the coming years. We’re thrilled to share with you our new north stars.
The mission of OneVillage Partners is to enhance collective wellbeing across Sierra Leone by investing in people and communities through partnerships. We envision a future where Sierra Leoneans amplify their collective power to lead transformational change in their communities.
To expand across all of rural Sierra Leone we will:
Continue to adapt and implement our current programs to best accommodate the specific needs and interests of new community and regional partners
Partner with civil society groups and gender advocates to collaborate on regional development
Connect with community change agents to create a national network of engaged volunteer-leaders
Increase our advocacy and thought leadership work at the national level
Our goals are ambitious. We will hold ourselves accountable with rigorous monitoring and evaluation, and we will adapt as necessary to ensure our work remains equitable and inclusive. Here’s a sneak peek at some of our targets:
100 community-development projects by 2027, with a 70% reduction in diarrheal disease for communities implementing water and sanitation projects
1,000 women participating in the NOW program by 2027, with $100,000 in collective savings of NOW participants between 2023 – 2027
75% of community members achieve and sustain a measurable and significant reduction in multi-dimensional poverty by 2027
Successfully expanding across Sierra Leone will require us to invest in people and to focus on the following three strategic pillars:
Define and Build Evidence-Base: We will rigorously track and report our progress to reduce multi-dimensional poverty, while contributing to evidence-based practice and community-led development research.
Raise Profile and Expand Donor Base: We will expand our presence across the U.S. to grow public awareness and to raise increased and new funding for the organization.
Proximate Leadership: We will transition decision-making and leadership to Sierra Leone by expanding our Board of Directors to include Sierra Leoneans and individuals around the world and by hiring Sierra Leonean leadership to lead the organization’s operations and strategy. Internationally and in the U.S., we will prioritize our role as partners in raising presence and revenue.
We cannot do this by ourselves. Our partners in Sierra Leone are excited and ready to continue driving change in their communities. We hope that you are equally as excited and ready to join this effort. There are many steps for us take together in the coming years, and we look forward to working together with our community partners and you to achieve our goals.
Want to learn more about our strategic expansion? We invite you to watch the recording of a virtual town hall that Executive Director, Jill LaLonde and Board of Directors Chair, Pete Janzen recently hosted. Jill and Pete shared more about our strategic expansion and answered questions from supporters. You can view the recording by clicking the button below!