Nourish International is a student movement that partners with communities to make a lasting impact on extreme poverty. Nourish addresses the needs of communities with sustainable, scalable solutions, while catalyzing tomorrow’s leaders to take action now. Nourish students partner with communities who lack the necessary funds and resources for sustainable development projects, but who have the entrepreneurial vision to eradicate poverty. The organization’s impact comes through: 1) Projects where we invest in long-term, community-based solutions to poverty; and 2) our students, whom we equip with the entrepreneurship, leadership, and cross-cultural skills they need to become lifelong agents of social change.

Nourish International accomplishes its mission by serving as a platform for students to make a global impact today. The Nourish International model has three components: 1) Student Leadership Development – students gain skills in social enterprise, responsible development, and leadership to create lasting change; 2) Ventures – students run these socially responsible businesses to raise money and help support people, planet, and profits; and 3) Projects – students and community-led, grassroots NGOs establish lasting relationships centered around addressing issues related to extreme poverty. Chapters invest the earnings from their ventures and also commit small volunteer intern teams for a 6-8 week project alongside the partner organization. Nourish students support small, community-led NGOs in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia in their sustainable development projects across multiple sectors, including health, sanitation, agriculture, education, and social enterprise.

Several layers of governance and monitoring are active in Nourish International’s structure. At its highest level, Nourish International is governed by a board of professionals, current students, alumni, and international partners. University chapters are led by their own executive boards of student leaders who work in tandem with staff at the National Office to develop their ventures and international projects, subject to guidelines and requirements set by the national board and staff. Each international project is ultimately governed by the local NGO initiating the activity in the community; the impetus for the project comes from the community, and Nourish students subsequently contribute funds and volunteer support that is in line with the community’s vision. Monitoring and evaluation is run as a collaboration between the local community’s NGO, Nourish students, and Nourish staff. Baseline data are collected and subsequent measurements are made at three-month, six-month, 12-month, and 24-month intervals to assess the impact of the project. Interviews of key personnel are conducted concurrent with data collection.

Nourish International, ByoEarth, MEERA Foundation, Voluntary Integration for Education and Welfare of Society, Health Development Initiative, Sehgal Foundation, AVODEC, Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme, Samerth Charitable Trust, Arajuno Road Project, Community Concerns Uganda, Helping Hands Cusco, Rural Health Care Foundation Uganda, Runa, Better Family Foundation, Global Health Network - Uganda, Mayan Families, Project Amazonas, Maya Traditions Foundation, FADCANIC, Triple Salto, Sustainable Bolivia - CECAM, MOCHE