SELF HELP INTERNATIONAL

Alleviating hunger by helping people help themselves since 1959

aka SHI   |   Waverly, IA   |  www.selfhelpinternational.org

Mission

Self-Help International is dedicated to alleviating hunger by helping people help themselves.

Alleviating hunger is addressed by assisting small scale farmers and related enterprises in developing countries to become self-reliant in meeting the needs of families and communities through training, education and other forms of assistance.

Self-Help International is headquartered in Iowa, USA, and maintains staff capacity in Ghana, West Africa and Nicaragua, Central America to carry out programs to improve quality of life for rural farm families with dignity.

Ruling year info

1972

Executive Director

Ms. Nora K Tobin

Board President

Dr. Richard Neal

Main address

207 20th St NW Ste A

Waverly, IA 50677 USA

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EIN

42-0844679

NTEE code info

International Economic Development (Q32)

Management & Technical Assistance (K02)

Nutrition Programs (K40)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Alleviating hunger and poverty in Africa and Latin America.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Micro-Credit for Women

Small loans to enable women to start a business. At present, SHI operates micro-credit programs in Ghana and Nicaragua.

Population(s) Served

We partner with community schools to start up feeding programs for preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade students. The breakfast provided is protein-rich, critical for brain development in young children. SHI provides training to Ghanaian farmers on how to grow Quality Protein Maize (QPM), a variety of corn that is protein-rich and high yielding. The community is responsible for providing the QPM to the school for the porridge, and SHI provides the cups, spoons, and assistance with building a kitchen to prepare the porridge in a sanitary and hygienic manner.

Population(s) Served

SHI technicians work with community committees for potable water (CAPS) to help install affordable water chlorinator systems that kill bacteria and allow for clean drinking water for entire communities

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Accreditations

Better Business Bureau National Accreditation 2019

Awards

Robert D. Ray Iowa SHARES Humanitarian Award 2014

World Food Prize

Affiliations & memberships

Better Business Bureau National Accreditation 2019

Videos

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Self-Help International's mission is to help people help themselves. Each of our programs is designed with local ownership and sustainability as the end goals.

Each of our programs is intentionally designed by local staff members, and based on community felt needs, to enable sustainable improvement in the livelihoods of program participants. We explicitly reject any and all programs that enable or foster dependency among the population served.

Self-Help International operates offices in the US, Ghana and Nicaragua. All overseas staff members are local hires, and thus have the appropriate cultural sensitivity, indigenous knowledge systems, and a vested interest in the outcome of the programs they manage.

Self-Help International currently operates micro-enterprise programs, children's feeding programs, agricultural development programs (promotion of Quality Protein Maize), and clean water programs. In 2013, Self-Help Ghana opened a Young Adult Training Center, and launched a Young Adult Capacity Building Program to address the very high rate of unemployment among young adults in Ghana. The program will initially train young adults in the following enterprises, and provide start-up loans for those who complete the training program:

a) poultry for meat and eggs
b) turkey for meat and eggs
c) rearing high value small ruminants like rabbits.
d) rearing high value small ruminants like grasscutters
e) mushroom production
f) snail rearing

In subsequent years, the following enterprises would be added to the list of enterprises:

g) bee keeping for honey and other value-added byproducts

Financials

SELF HELP INTERNATIONAL
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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SELF HELP INTERNATIONAL

Board of directors
as of 6/30/2020
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Dr. Richard Neal

National Marine Fisheries Service

Term: 2014 -

Francis Mueller

Mueller Farms, Inc.

Mary Jane Oakland

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Dennis Preslicka

University of Iowa

Bert Schou

ACRES

Carol Smith

Iowa State University Extension

Nick Taiber

CPM Holdings, Inc.

Keith Swanson

The Swanson Group at Morgan Stanley

Deb Giarusso

Centurion Management

Barbara Hatinger

ACRES

Dorothy Masinde

Iowa State University

Nancy Ross

Iowa City Public Schools

Ann Bell

Mayo Clinic

William Edwards

Iowa State University

Jerry Perkins

Des Moines Register

Paul Curtis

HRCare

Paula O'Brien

KPMG

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes