Bring your talents to a community in need. Our community development projects address the key needs in a given community and working within the culture and structure to bring about positive change.

​The Community Development Challenge report defines community development as: “A set of values and practices which plays a special role in overcoming poverty and disadvantage, knitting society together at the grass roots level and deepening democracy.” You will be able to choose one or more of these to focus on.

Educational Development
Improving the educational foundation of the community is the key to this placement. Work with educational leaders to develop curriculum, oversee building of schools, promote education, and secure donations. Both children and parents in many developing communities understand the importance of education and it is a source of great pride and importance to have their children educated. The challenge is that many communities are unable due to social circumstances, funding, available materials, or simply having a physical school to make this happen. We have placements both in the field living in villages or small settlements or in NGO offices

Water Improvement
Work with NGO’s on improving safe drinking water for communities. In addition, look at ways to increase irrigation, and to recycle water within the community, and to make clean water more easily accessible. The more man hours used to gather clean water, the less time a community has to develop its education and agricultural surplus. Waterborne ailments are one of the world’s greatest challenges facing the health of children. You will work both to improve weight health as well as to improve accessibility. We have placements both in the field living in villages or small settlements or in NGO offices.

Agricultural Development
Learn and educate villagers on the latest sustainable agricultural practices. Work with both Western and local agents who are promoting agricultural improvements throughout the region. Improvements may include curbing pesticides, recycling irrigation water, genetically improved seeds, harvesting techniques, adopting new crops, utilizing modern harvesting techniques, among others. We have placements both in the field living in villages or small settlements or in NGO offices.

Community development involves changing the relationships between ordinary people and people in positions of power, so that everyone can take part in the issues that affect their lives. It starts from the principle that within any community there is a wealth of knowledge and experience which, if used in creative ways, can be channeled into collective action to achieve the communities’ desired goals. Community development practitioners work alongside people in communities to help build relationships with key people and organizations and to identify common concerns. They create opportunities for the community to learn new skills and, by enabling people to act together, community development practitioners help to foster social inclusion and equality.

​Community Development Exchange defines community development as: “both an occupation (such as a community development worker in a local authority) and a way of working with communities. Its key purpose is to build communities based on justice, equality and mutual respect.

Working to strengthen the role of women in all societies is a core belief at the Institute for Cultural Ecology. We support and send interns to both developed and developing countries to work on behalf of the rights of women.

​Issues associated with women’s rights include:, the right: to bodily integrity and autonomy; voting rights (suffrage); to hold public office; to work; to earn fair wages or equal pay; to own property and have an education, to serve in the military; to enter into legal contracts and to have marital, parental and religious rights.

Some of the placements we have in women’s advocacy include: women’s shelters, Mothers against Drunk Drivers, political advocacy groups, women’s health centers, educational outreach to low income women, voting rights advocacy groups, advocacy for fair and equal pay, among others.

​Our programs support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and define discrimination against women in the following terms:

​Any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.

​It also establishes an agenda of action for putting an end to sex-based discrimination for which states ratifying the Convention are required to enshrine gender equality into their domestic legislation, repeal all discriminatory provisions in their laws, and enact new provisions to guard against discrimination against women. They must also establish tribunals and public institutions to guarantee women effective protection against discrimination, and take steps to eliminate all forms of discrimination practiced against women by individuals, organizations, and enterprises.