Global by Design: Moving the Needle on Unemployment
Five years ago, we made a change. We realized our vision had to be much bigger. We realized that ending poverty had to be a global effort, it had to be “global by design.”
We brought our global team of thinkers, dreamers, and doers into one room, shut the door, and said, “We need to dream bigger. What can we accomplish by 2020 and how can we get there?”
In 2012, this task force shaped our guiding strategic plan which became known as Vision 2020.
Integral to this vision was an innocuous but powerful phrase: global by design. In all facets, Partners Worldwide needed to become more globally-oriented. We began focusing on building up global leadership, authority, accountability, and resources to form global “hubs” in each region where we work.
Since 2012, we have dived head-first into a global by design mindset. In fact, we found that the way to become global by design was to become local by design.
From training new entrepreneurs to making loans affordable, from advocating against injustice to linking small-scale farmers to viable markets – every aspect of our global work has become unequivocally local.
Local ownership and authority are no longer just a dream, but our emerging reality—and the results are extraordinary.
Job creation and retention have grown tremendously, with total job growth tripling since 2012. Last year alone, we saw an 81% increase in local mentorship as more and more mentors are volunteering to serve in their own communities.
We hope and pray this trajectory of growth continues. As we embody global by design, we will continue to invest in our local partners—helping them grow into strong, resilient institutions that meet the needs of their communities.
Thank you for your support and partnership to help make this work possible!
February 23, 2017