Vision:
A world where everyone is equipped to flourish.
Mission:
To support and advance approaches that reduce cycles of dependency and increase resilience in developing nations.
Philosophy:
NGOs and nonprofits world-wide have existed to fill certain gaps that the government or private sector have not. However, in the developing world many well-intentioned endeavors have either not helped or even worse, harmed the local people and economies, and as a result have created a vicious cycle of dependence.
The philosophy of Emanate International is: if organizations truly want to make a difference then the cycle of dependency on foreign aid must be broken. How will we know if it has?
To break the cycle, the best metric for sustainable success should be measured in how autonomous the individual or community “helped” has become after the support has been given.
Purpose:
Emanate International has been created to serve as a resource to encourage nonprofit, NGO, and Social Enterprise leaders to think critically about their work – and specifically their execution of it.
This goal will be achieved through interviews and featured written posts of leaders in the field who are living out this philosophy in their work, as well as providing other tangible resources that can benefit leaders who want to use best practice in their organizations.
Sasha Nicolle, Founder & CEO
My debut into the International Development sphere began in 2011 when I visited Port-au-Prince, Haiti for the first time to help lead a group of students on a mission trip. As a high school French teacher at the time, I figured my role would be to translate and look out for the youth. Little did I know what seeds would be planted in my life that summer.
Meeting people face to face gives a very different perspective than hearing about extreme poverty from afar. That first trip showed me their unyielding tenacity and determination to work and produce a livelihood for themselves and their families. Their aspirations for the future were inspiring. Many spoke of a dream for a better Haiti. I couldn’t help but wonder how a country with such determined people could be in so much difficulty, and what could be done to turn it around for the better?
Since that trip, I have spent over 10 years focusing on initiatives to advance Haiti’s development. Five of those years have been in partnership with Haitian women to create businesses for people in Port-au-Prince on a pro-bono basis. Additionally, I have worked for five years for a Haitian NGO that uses a community driven approach to help ensure residents in rural areas will have sustainable access to clean water systems and be equipped to use proper sanitation and hygienic practices.
Currently, I am working for a non-profit that support locally led development in Sudan and South Sudan as a means to prevent human trafficking of vulnerable people in war-zones.
To further my capacities in this sector I completed an M.A. in Nonprofit Management from Hamline University in 2019.
The more I’ve learned about the ways organizations have either helped or hindered progress in developing countries, the more compelled I have felt to create a forum to allow leaders to come together to learn, share, and collaborate towards developing a better world for all.