Hope In Every Step
A Radical Journey to End Poverty
Unbound 2030 Strategic Plan
Our founders envisioned a program to eliminate poverty that’s built on hope and fueled by love. Inspired by the founders and guided by our core values and a unique approach to international development, we believe we’ve discovered a solution to multidimensional poverty.
Unbound’s 2030 strategic plan, "Hope in Every Step: A Radical Journey to End Poverty," guides our work helping to eliminate global poverty by expanding the impact of our decentralized approach.
Our approach challenges poverty by empowering the families in our programs to make the decisions that improve their situations — something that is key to creating sustainable solutions.
Our 2030 strategic plan was shaped by program partners worldwide. This plan highlights what we want to achieve, our overarching goals and the five strategic pillars upon which we’ll measure our impact to eliminate poverty, empower women, advance education, build community and promote well-being of all ages.
We believe we’ll see a world one day where no person lives in poverty. By inspiring a little hope and love in every step, we know we can get there.
We do not lead the way but walk beside.
We do not judge but encourage. We do not see poverty but the potential for realizing dreams. We would be honored for you to join us on this journey to end poverty.
Ashley Hufft,
President and CEOOur Radical Approach to Eliminating Poverty
Our decentralized approach means we put the needs and interests of the families we serve above program needs. With our support, they are the ones who build individual, family and community development solutions to poverty. We call this distinctive framework for our participant-led program model “Circles of Impact.”
First, we empower individuals and families — largely mothers — to self-assess and create solutions to poverty that are tailored to their unique circumstances. A variety of tools and strategies support them throughout this process, including Direct Cash Transfers (DCT) that put sponsorship benefits into the sponsored individual's account, goal setting using Poverty Stoplight, and the personal relationships they develop with local project staff and with their sponsors via letters.
Second, families gain access to Unbound's community support networks made up of self-help parent support groups and Unbound Mothers Groups. These groups encourage learning and growth and offer participants mutual support, eventually becoming spaces where they feel empowered to reweave the fabric of community and create collective solutions.
Leadership skills honed through the social support system trickle down to the broader community where participants seek to improve their neighbor's quality of life. Using Unbound's Agents of Change platform, they work together (as a group but also with the larger community) to identify community problems and implement solutions.
As the scope of impact of our radically decentralized approach expands, we believe that ripple effects from the other three circles will impact entire societies in ways that cannot be anticipated.
Circles of Impact Framework:
Empowering individuals and families creates ripple effects that impact their communities and ends with changing society. The Poverty Stoplight survey results guide what is to be done, while our program characteristics guide how we do the work, and both help us ensure the voices of families remain at the center.
2030 Goals
Our Unbound 2030 goals will expand our reach to even more families, supporting them in unlocking their potential to rise above poverty.
Goal #1
By 2030, we will increase the number of households we support to over 400,000 families in more than 500 communities in Latin America, Asia and Africa.
Goal #2
We will expand our geographical reach by opening one additional program office in either Africa or Southeast Asia by 2030.
Our Five Strategic Pillars of Impact
We measure our goals and the impact of our work under five strategic pillars, which also contribute to more than 10 of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Santos, the mother of a sponsored child in Guatemala, sits with her sons beneath the new roof of their home. The family saved funds to replace the roof after taking the Poverty Stoplight survey.
Eliminate Poverty
We will eliminate poverty through economic support and goal setting. We'll systematically eliminate multidimensional poverty in 400,000 households as families identify their priorities and receive resources and support from the organization to accomplish their goals.
Innovative strategies that support this goal: Our personal approach to child, youth and elder sponsorship, Direct Cash Transfers (DCT), Unbound's Goal Orientation powered by Poverty Stoplight survey and life maps, savings and loan programs, and entrepreneurship and community development assistance grants, among others.
Sustainable Development Goal(s) this pillar contributes to:
No Poverty (SDG 1)
In Uganda, women are creating sustainable livelihoods after being taught new climate-smart farming techniques in their Unbound Mothers Groups. Learn More
Empower Women
We will empower women through dignified work and decision making. We'll empower 350,000 women with financial inclusion, awarding at least $1 million in grants to accelerate the success of female entrepreneurs.
Innovative strategies that support this goal: Direct Cash Transfers (DCT), self-help and mothers support groups, cooperatives and access to capital, Unbound's Small Business Accelerator grants, entrepreneurship and skills development training.
Sustainable Development Goal(s) this pillar contributes to:
Gender Equality (SDG 5)
Decent Work (SDG 8)
With sponsorship assistance, Bibeth in Rwanda can consistently attend school and reads more than 20 books a month with a membership to her local library. Read More
Advance Education
We will advance education through resources and motivation. We'll increase educational attainment and job readiness for 400,000 marginalized students. We will also expand higher education and adult scholarship commitments to a total of at least $25 million.
Innovative strategies that support this goal: Financial support of sponsorship, Unbound Scholarship Program and community leadership exposure.
Sustainable Development Goal(s) this pillar contributes to:
Education (SDG 4)
Using an Unbound Agents of Change grant, mothers installed lights and fans at a community school in Tamil Nadu, India, benefitting more than 236 students. Read More
Build Community
We will build community through groups of mutual support and community-driven development projects. We’ll integrate 175,000 new households into groups of mutual support and provide at least $8 million in funding that will allow participants to implement community development initiatives benefitting an estimated 4 million people.
Innovative strategies that support this goal: Unbound Mothers Groups, Unbound Agents of Change grants.
Sustainable Development Goal(s) this pillar contributes to:
Gender Equality (SDG 5)
Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11)
Sponsored elder Nenita from the Philippines learned how to self-manage her Type 2 diabetes as part of Unbound's noncommunicable diseases pilot program in partnership with Chronic Care International. Read More
Promote Well-being Of All Ages
We will promote the well-being of all ages through older adult inclusion and psycho-social supports. We'll expand older adult programming to include 50,000 individuals worldwide and fund emerging interventions to improve the quality of their support networks.
Innovative strategies that support this goal: Elder sponsorship, elder support groups, Unbound's Goal Orientation powered by Poverty Stoplight survey, caregiver support, Unbound and Chronic Care International's noncommunicable diseases pilot program.
Sustainable Development Goal(s) this pillar contributes to:
Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3)
RESOURCES
Our Results
We believe the best path out of poverty is a self-directed one, and we have the results that support our approach.
See Our Impact
Our Team
Unbound's international development expertise spans three regions. Local staff and key members of our global team work in partnership with the families in our programs.
Meet Our Team
Our Mission
Our mission is to support families and communities worldwide on their self-directed paths out of poverty.
Learn More
Join Us
There are a variety of other ways besides sponsoring or donating that individuals and groups can help transform lives on our radical journey to end poverty.
Get Involved