Training is important to development. ADS is a US based 501(3)c established to promote the welfare of the needy. Our focus is on development through training.
ADS exists to promote the welfare of the needy, but what is welfare? According to the United Nations welfare is about more than money, it includes health, education, living conditions, and even support for the maintenance of minority cultural, religious and linguistic traditions.
Development, as distinct from charity, is primarily about equipping and training local communities so that they have the skills and expertise necessary to be self-sustaining. For ADS we focus on providing training to the communities we work with so that they can build their communities. By taking note of the work other organizations might be providing (or not providing) in that area we can target our training to where it is needed the most.
It's no secret that the world is seeing increased tensions along ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic lines; many of these tensions underpin the challenges needy communities face. When encountering situations like this, ADS is guided by globally recognized best practice statements such as the UN Declaration of the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Documents like these set out that while all people have the right to enjoy their own culture, and language in Private and Public without interference or discriminations, these freedoms are subject to limitations necessary to protect public safety, order and morals. To this end, when we deliver training, we aim to do so in a way that places the training within the broader context of community engagement.
