Building Bridges to End Poverty & Bring Peace
In line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal #1: Join us as we start a charity to help alleviate poverty and bring peace!
Almost 736 million people across the globe are living in extreme poverty according to the World Bank. Extreme poverty is classified as living on less than $1.90/day. While worldwide extreme poverty figures have decreased in recent years, in the Middle East and North Africa, the number of people living in extreme poverty has doubled.
WHO ARE WE
We are Heidi and Brad, and we both grew up in small Midwestern towns. We moved to the Middle East over three years ago focused on a corporate job. During our time overseas, we developed friendships with the people in the region, and we sparked a passion for understanding their cultures and faiths. This led us to travel the region, where our hearts broke as we visited and aided those affected by conflicts in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
As a result, we are now committing our business experience and MBA skills full-time to poverty alleviation starting first in the Middle East and then expanding to other regions and continents.
OUR MODEL
Our organization, Building Bridges, is combating extreme poverty by bridging humanitarian organizations who have already established sustainable programs to empower those in need with willing and able people and organizations who have skills, time, resources, and capacity to serve and give. 
HOW IT WORKS
Building Bridges has a growing network of regional partners in the Middle East who have established sustainable programs to alleviate poverty. These partners share their needs with us. Their needs range from physical support on the ground (Go), to work that can be done remotely (Serve), to financial aid for those in need (Give).
Building Bridges’ users create a Builder Profile on our website including their skills and interests, as well as their willingness to Go, Serve, and Give. Then, we build the bridge between them and the organization in need by recommending projects that match their preferences.
All Builders with an active profile are notified whenever a new project or need is uploaded by our partners. Builders have complete freedom to select the projects they wish to support; we have simply done the work of narrowing the search for suitable projects and organizations.
WHY DO IT THIS WAY
As we began our planning to start a humanitarian organization, we quickly learned that while our heart was in the right place, we didn't have the regional knowledge or experience to make a sizeable impact on the lives of those in poverty.
There are many organizations doing good work and making a sustainable difference in communities, but they need more help. We decided to find trusted organizations with regional knowledge and experience and build a bridge between their need for assistance and people, communities, and organizations who want to help.
Our model is exponentially rewarding, as we are one organization partnered with many to increase our poverty-alleviating impact on families and communities.
Peace is restored for families as they regain dignity and rise out of extreme poverty. Our Builders can have peace of mind knowing they are supporting a charity partnered with trusted and established organizations that are truly changing lives.
Through our website, newsletter, social media, and public speaking events, people all over the world are learning about regions and communities they may have known little about or even held incorrect judgments against. As we have learned during our journey: through understanding comes peace.
WILL YOU PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING US GET STARTED
We have been investing our own finances and time for nearly a year in developing our business model, traveling to meet our partner organizations, and building our website. Now we need help with the next steps, including:
-Attaining Legal Non-Profit Status
-Assistance with Operational Expenses
-Audit, Compliance, & Accounting Functions
Furthermore, our family is planning to move to Jordan in June 2019 where we will set up our base to work, live, and serve, full-time. There, we will need assistance with basic living accommodations.
A gift of ANY amount is appreciated.
In addition to the personal satisfaction of supporting this cause, all those making a contribution will be forever recognized as Founding Givers.
Further distinctions include:
Kind-Hearted Giver - gifts up to $100
Generous Giver - gifts greater than $100 up to $500
Bountiful Giver - gifts greater than $500 up to $1,000
Faithful Giver - gifts greater than $1,000
CONNECT WITH US
CLICK HERE to create your own Builder Profile. We plan to launch our website this month and be operational by the end of this year, at which time we will begin connecting you with opportunities to Go, Serve, and Give based on your interests.
You can also follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and WordPress
WE APPRECIATE YOU
Thank you for your time and consideration. If you are making the choice to support us, we want to assure you that we will be diligent in our stewardship of the funds we receive, knowing that they are not ours and that we are here to serve a greater purpose.
