Global Good: GRACE Cares

The town of La Lomita, Dominican Republic, where GRACE Cares has helped with care for the elderly, a water project, and school improvements.

Today I am feeling wowed by the work of GRACE Cares, which funds small-scale international community development projects. The organization also creates opportunities for intercultural exchanges among people interested in donating and volunteering on the projects and those who will benefit from the projects.  

Two things fascinate me about GRACE Cares.  The first is that it's founders recognize that small actions make a difference on the ground, in daily ways, to many people.  So they work with locals who have vision, community connections, and the cultural understanding that can result in positive change and continued growth and well-being.

The second thing I love about this organization is that it does not just offer potential donors or volunteers the opportunity to throw money, or a few days or weeks of support, at issues such as poverty, inadequate education, or natural disasters in the hopes that they might make a difference.  Rather, GRACE Cares understands that in order for intercultural interactions to result in positive, lasting change they must be reciprocal, genuine, and ideally on-going.  The work that's done is built on relationships.  

GRACE Cares works in many areas, including education, nutrition, literacy, and violence prevention around the world.  You can get involved by donating, volunteering, fundraising and more.  Learn about the details of their model, their successes, and their current projects on their website at:  www.gracecares.org or on their Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/gracecaresvt?fref=ts.