A Vision Begins with an Idea
Partnerships begins with trust. Action begins with you.
Action on Poverty is the trusted partner for changemakers creating a better world.
We connect philanthropists, corporates, non-profits, and innovators with developing communities and local NGOs across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific to break the poverty cycle.
We believe that everyone has a role to play in creating a more just and equal world. Our specialty is in creating networks, maximising resources, and upskilling people and organisations so that, together, we can create lasting change.
Areas where we work
Africa
Ethiopia | Malawi | Mozambique | Tanzania | Zimbabwe
Asia
Bangladesh | Cambodia | Myanmar | Timor-Leste | Vietnam
Pacific
Fiji | Kiribati | Solomon Islands
Partner with us
Working in partnership enables us to maximise our resources, share expertise, and expand our networks. Explore our different partnership models below.
Support high-impact programs that address the root causes of poverty and build more resilient communities.
Education - Poverty is a major barrier to education, especially for girls.
Explore Partnerships
Poverty is a major barrier to education, especially for girls. UNESCO estimates that 258 million children are not in school. In the Asia-Pacific region alone, 1.2 million girls are at risk of dropping out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Low-income families often have to choose between sending their children to school or providing other essentials, such as meals or medication. Even if tuition is free, families can struggle to cover the cost of transport, uniforms, books, and exam fees. Girls are more likely than boys to drop out early, with child marriage one of the most common reasons.
Our Education program therefore provides scholarships for disadvantaged children, especially girls, to complete their schooling. We also offer vocational training opportunities for girls and young women so they can find decent jobs or start micro-enterprises and become self-sufficient.
Environment and Climate Change - Developing communities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
Explore Partnerships
Although developing communities are the least responsible for climate change, they are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. In the last year alone, floods, cyclones, and droughts have impacted the communities we work with across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, eroding their hard-won development gains.
Our Environment and Climate Change program helps farmers adapt to climate change by increasing access to water, promoting climate-smart agriculture, and introducing drought- and disease-tolerant crops. We also help communities with disaster preparedness and recovery.
Food Security - According to the United Nations, one in four children around the world is stunted by malnutrition, while in developing countries, this number is as high as one in three.
Explore Partnerships
The fight against hunger in developing countries has only become tougher, with the climate crisis and COVID-19 pandemic fuelling rising food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly in rural areas.
According to the United Nations, two billion people do not have regular access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food. Children are among the worst affected, with 144 million children under the age of five affected by stunting.
Our Food Security program recognises that sustainable access to food is a fundamental requirement for good health. Agriculture (the primary livelihood for many rural communities) is up to four times more effective in lifting people out of poverty than other sectors.
Gender Equality - Our programs tackle gender inequality and build more inclusive communities better able to tackle poverty and injustice.
Explore Partnerships
Gender inequality is a pervasive problem around the world. There is no country where women have achieved economic equality with men, and women are still more likely than men to live in poverty. Women face myriad challenges that start from a young age, including lack of access to education, lack of decent or secure work, low wages, the burden of unpaid domestic labour and caregiving, and vulnerability to gender-based violence.
However, women’s empowerment is an important vehicle for poverty eradication. Increasing women’s economic participation accelerates development and reduces inequalities. In our experience, women are more likely than men to spend any increased income in ways that benefit the whole family, such as on children’s education or savings. Our Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) program therefore targets women for training, employment, and leadership activities, giving women more control over household income and assets, and greater say in community decision-making.
Health - COVID-19 has exposed the massive health inequalities between rich and poor.
Explore Partnerships
Lack of access to affordable health care is a major challenge for low-income communities, and COVID-19 has only further exposed the health inequalities between rich and poor.
Our Health program addresses public health threats, connects communities to health services, trains medical professionals, and addresses gaps in hygiene and nutrition to help communities achieve the wellbeing that underpins their other development goals.
All our Health programs now include COVID-19 awareness and health promotion activities.
Livelihoods - Since 1990, more than 1.2 billion people have risen out of extreme poverty.
Explore Partnerships
Action on Poverty’s Economic Empowerment and Sustainable Livelihoods (EESL) program focuses on creating opportunities for vulnerable people to increase their incomes and lift themselves out of poverty.
This program emphasises women’s economic empowerment, targeting women from marginalised groups such as ethnic minorities, women in rural areas, and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. We work with individuals and collectives to develop vocational skills, increase financial literacy, and develop small enterprises.
Our EESL projects also create support networks to reduce isolation and vulnerability within the community. This can start small, by forming local savings-and-loans groups and farmers’ associations, before growing into market-oriented linkages with business networks. By establishing profitable value chains in agricultural commodities, such as fish, potato, and ground nuts, farmers can create more income and employment opportunities for the whole community.
Social Accountability - Increasing engagement between government, civil society, and developing communities is essential for alleviating poverty.
Explore Partnerships
Social accountability and good governance are essential to achieve long-term development gains. Our Social Accountability and Governance (SAG) program promotes inclusive communities, transparent and accountable governments, and participatory decision-making as the basis for a strong civil society. This is particularly important for groups that are systemically under-represented in formal political institutions.
Water Sanitisation - Water is a basic human right, yet clean water and sanitation remain out of reach for billions.
Explore Partnerships
Clean water is a basic human right, and something many of us take for granted. But for millions of people across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, accessing clean drinking water is an everyday challenge. At the same time, one billion people practise open defecation (OD) due to lack of toilets and hygiene awareness. Poor water and sanitation are leading causes of diarrhoea, which is the second biggest cause of death among children under five.
Water is essential for cooking, washing, and farming. With access to a clean and local water source, communities can improve their hygiene and sanitation, reduce the burden of fetching water that rests largely on women and girls, and increase their agricultural productivity.