Guiding Principles

Respect is fundamental. Just as we are different in our look, we are different in our gender, religion, work style, generation, personality, expectations, and so on. Respect and mutual understanding are critically important in increasing productivity, knowledge, and innovation in an organization. It facilitates exchange of ideas and decreases stress, conflict and problems. We recognize the importance of respect for our donors, partners, and colleagues and strongly believe that they well deserve it.

Accountability nurtures reflective practice and encourages team members to be a good steward of the resources available to them. Being accountable for decisions, actions, and assignments make us stronger as iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another. It helps a team value their work, develop a sense of ownership, and stay focused on their mission. Being accountable builds and sustains trust which is integral to any successful relationship.

Sustainability is about hard work, not a quick fix; it is not about working for a year or two but rather for decades and for generations to come. Sustainable development addresses the underlying causes, not the symptoms of problems. It is a program of action which allows us to think and function outside our own preconceptions and encourages us to proceed in an integrative and systematic way. It serves as the most effective means of organizing solutions to lead to a development that is socially, economically, and environmentally healthy and provides real improvements in the quality of life.

Promoting gender equality and gender justice, especially in contexts where a certain gender is politically and socially marginalized, raises awareness and helps people examine their attitudes towards gender and question what has been conventionally assumed to be true. Gender empowerment and participation have been major concerns in addressing human rights and development and programs that adopt the notion of empowerment can result in benefits for communities, businesses and entire nations.