CHOICE Humanitarian

Note: The organization did not respond to this question.

Note: The organization did not respond to this question.

Last year CHOICE undertook the most far-reaching institutional strengthening initiatives in our history. CHOICE will invest in our most valuable assets—our people. These are the men and women of our CHOICE teams around the world who work hard to help rural communities achieve a better life. These high-performing, dedicated professionals deal with difficult government requirements, stagnant economies, supply chain interruptions, high rates of unemployment, harsh climatic conditions, poor communication and transportation capabilities, and impossible logistics, all while operating on lean budgets. Now is the time to radically change, invest, and improve so that CHOICE’s utilization of generous donations can be translated into multiplied impact in the field. We will launch a comprehensive program to ensure our teams are “fit-for-purpose” with all the tools and competencies they need to achieve excellence. We have titled this the Human Capital Investment Program (HCIP).

Everything CHOICE does is with and through the communities. This starts with outstanding country directors and teams. These staff members are local to the area—they know the communities we serve, and they often speak indigenous languages like Q'eqchi' in Guatemala or Aymara in Bolivia. Our country teams ensure projects are culturally appropriate, will develop the capacity of local community members, and are sustainable well past CHOICE's involvement. Local directors work hand in hand with local government, charitable organizations and community leaders to ensure collaboration and success.

If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that for most of the world’s poor, the pandemic is one more crisis in a life filled with daily struggles. With this understanding, CHOICE programs and projects focused to help communities disrupt the effects of the pandemic and build the resilience they need to weather the crises. Our problem-driven, local systems approach sought to address the main drivers of poverty and introduce at least one new option into environments lacking in opportunities. We built adaptability into this approach, varying it by country and local context. For example, when the pandemic hit the Navajo Nation in full force, CHOICE Humanitarian worked with local leaders to identify the most vulnerable and delivered food directly to their homes, bringing much-needed nutritious food to families who would did not have access. This project began a long term relationship between CHOICE and the Nation. Plans were made to build five Hoophouses on the Former Bennett Freeze Area (FBFA) as part of a food security initiative. These plans helped farmers build resilience in planting by utilizing innovative ways to extend their planting season and create enterprise opportunities. CHOICE now has a local directer and team members on the Nation and work is moving forward to create a path out of poverty for communities in the Navajo Nation. Additionally, In 2021 we placed a huge emphasis on using technology in smarter ways to accelerate progress and multiply the results of our programs. With generous support from one of our donors, we began the process to improve our IT systems across the organization, which allowed us to streamline our work and increase our impact at the same time. This effort is ongoing as we assess our use of technology across all our projects.