Esther’s Echo is a community empowerment organization that facilitates community development through an online person to person fundraising network. When fully functional, Esther's Echo will work to support community leaders both in Canada and abroad by profiling their vital community based organizations and projects online for potential donors/investors to directly fund and support.
Globally, Esther's Echo supports community-based organizations (CBOs) in developing countries through use of a Web 2.0 platform. We define community based organizations as “non-profit bodies, but with the distinction that they are based in and staffed by the communities they serve...They are the means by which community members mobilize themselves to address some of the pressing issues affecting their communities” (Coetzee et al. 2006). You could think of these "non-profit bodies" as schools, orphanages, training centers, and other community initiatives started all by local people. Information technology (IT) provides the link that will channel funds directly to the leaders of these CBOs inexpensively because the transfer does not require large numbers of international staff traveling and living in countries overseas. Thousands of CBOs around the world act as an invaluable service to members of their communities. Many operate on only a few thousand dollars a year, and struggle to maintain their daily operations. Esther's Echo can facilitate the daily function and long-term growth of these vital CBOs
In Canada, our primary focus is on youth/student-led community development projects promoting positive social change and developing youth leadership skills. Canadian students will be challenged to develop their own community or global development projects. Many organizations challenge students to fundraise for the organization's cause. We want to reverse this fundraising model and give funding to students instead. Successful student applicants will be funded through the same online network that supports our overseas projects allowing students the opportunity to further their own vision for development and truly enhance their leadership abilities.
To promote the sustainability of our organization, Esther’s Echo will be financially assisted by its own social enterprise, Esther’s Arts. Esther’s Arts will provide market access to CBOs that have established revenue generating projects such as the production of handicrafts such as clothing, art and jewelry by importing these products for sale in Canada. In Canada, these products can generate up to four or five times the revenue they would in a local markets. The increased revenue created from these sales at higher prices in Canada will maintain the operation of our online network as well as be reinvested in our partner CBOs abroad.