As any other living creature, Hearts of Gold grows and adapts to its environment. We observe our conditions and our natural strengths as an organization, and reflect upon how we can best use what we have to give back to the community. In January of 2017 we realized that our mission and vision no longer explained our current path as an organization. While they were commendable and guided us for our beginning years, it was time to update our mission and vision to reflect our future work. We are proud of the transformation we have made as an organization over the years, and are delighted to announce our updated mission and vision to the Hearts of Gold community:
Our Mission:
Strengthen the capacity of community organizations through education, mentorship, and mobilization.
Fortalecer habilidades de organizaciones comunitarias a través de educación, tutorías y construcción de alianzas.
Our Vision:
An Ecuador where every individual enjoys a life of dignity, hope and empowerment.
Un Ecuador en el que cada Individuo disfrute de una vida digna, con esperanza, desarrollando un sentido de solidaridad.
What Do We Do?
Through our Community Assistance Program, Hearts of Gold partners with small nonprofit organizations and their community leaders in the Azuay province of Ecuador that serve marginalized populations. We support, inspire, educate, and invest in community leaders and grassroots organizations and their staff to make their work sustainable, efficient, and impactful.
Why Do We Do What Do We Do?
Given that 75% of foundations in Ecuador close within a three-year window, Hearts of Gold is playing a pivotal role in supporting the sustenance of nonprofit work in Ecuador. The reality of nonprofit organizations in Ecuador is a lonely one. When a community leader is enduring a difficult time, there is no one to turn to for support, inspiration, or advice. Hearts of Gold wants to see grassroots organizations survive, and even more so thrive despite poor social conditions that make their work all the more challenging.
Our partners are working in Ecuadorian communities where 30% of students drop out between primary school and high school; where 26% of children under the age of 5 are malnourished; where severe child abuse was reported in 44% of homes; and where over 60% of women report to be victims of gender-based violence. Local grassroots organizations are working from the ground up to transform at-risk communities to overcome barriers of social inequalities, but without ongoing support and capacity building, these organizations are not likely to make it past three years of operation and provide sustainable solutions and critical services to communities in great need.
This is why Hearts of Gold is here to stand hand in hand with grassroots leaders and organizations – so that they may be the ones to create homegrown sustainable programs with lasting solutions that confront challenges and issues in their communities.
Join Us in the Cause!
Are you looking to get involved in our mission and vision? We welcome our Hearts of Gold community to join us this year! Whether as a volunteer or supporter we would love to hear from you and collaborate as we put the Community Assistance Program to action!
Interested in seeing what our capacity building workshops look like in action? Click here to read more about our most recent workshop in Strategic Planning!
Want to make a donation to support community leaders making change happen through grassroots organizations? Click here!