Global Partners for Development

Global Partners was founded in 1978 as a membership organization called World Runners International Foundation. Its main objective was to focus attention on and generate support for ending hunger and starvation in the world. Over fifteen years, World Runners raised $6.5 million for organizations working to end hunger and poverty. Its success was built on a network of personal relationships, established by members from every state in the U.S. and over 50 countries. In 1989, World Runners became Global Partners and began to work directly with East African community leaders in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda to identify and implement projects in the areas of health, education, and water. Because we are successful in building partnerships, real changes are made. Our experience has been that working directly with communities promotes human dignity and assists in breaking the traditional cycle of poverty. We value the insight of community leaders about what is really needed and what will work from an African point of view. We prefer to fund projects that have long-term effects for social change. The problems of Africa are so great that billions of dollars will not completely solve them – but, paradoxically, hundreds of dollars, correctly applied, can make a big difference. Besides on-the-ground management, our staff goes to Africa regularly to inspect current projects and interview new groups. Many of our donors have accompanied us on these trips to see first hand the progress of their projects and meet the people who are benefiting from their support. The relationships formed between our donors and the people of East Africa become deeply imprinted upon lives divided only by distance. Relationships held together with the glue of mutual respect, appreciation, and a commitment to improving the lives of both current and future generations.