Church World Service recognized early in its history that to be genuinely fruitful, projects and programs must come from the people themselves, not be imposed by others. Empowering self help is the key. For example:

• Habsu Abdu, a member of the women's cooperative in Balleyara, Niger, has learned how to read, write and do arithmetic through the Tagazar project's adult literacy classes. Sixty women are attending this course, every morning for nine months of the year, in a classroom they constructed themselves.
• In Bosnia, we're working at the grassroots with people like Franjo. With Basic inputs - chicks, feed, and chicken coops - local egg production can go forward. Support for this and other small enterprises means jobs and a source of food for the community.
• In Cambodia, a demining team member painstakingly probes for unexploded landmines - a dangerous yet essential task to help make daily life safer for children and families, and allow precious land to be reclaimed for farming.
• In one of the poorest and most dangerous areas of Rio de Janeiro, children and adolescents run a vital drug abuse and HIV-AIDS prevention center for themselves and their peers, with support from Church World Service Brazilian partners.