date-created: '2007-03-06'
date-updated: '2025-11-28'
manifest-author:
    name: Appropedia
    email: admin@appropedia.org
title: 'The Missing Link for Sustainable Village Development'
description: "Since the Marshall Plan was so successful in rebuilding Europe, the World Bank and USAID--together with hundreds of well-meaning NGOs--have poured trillions of dollars ($2.3 trillion) into the Third World nations to try to reduce poverty. But poverty has only increased instead of decreasing. The money from the World Bank and USAID has lined the pockets of the 20% of the people in power in these countries, and it has increased the GNP of each country, but it has not helped the 80% of the people who live in poverty in rural areas in each of these countries. Most of the contributions of the well-meaning NGOs have been single-sector gifts (such as agricultural animals, equipment or medical and other supplies) or financial contributions that help a village temporarily, but does not bring the village out of poverty on a self-reliant, self-sustaining basis. To help a village out of poverty, its enlightened leaders and conscientious members must learn to draw on outside expertise to help the villagers to fulfill the community's goals."
keywords:
    - 'Village Earth'
    - 'Principles of development'
    - 'Poverty alleviation'
project-link: 'https://www.appropedia.org/The_Missing_Link_for_Sustainable_Village_Development'
contact:
    name: 'Maurice L. Albertson'
    social:
        platform: Appropedia
        user-handle: 'Maurice L. Albertson'
version: 16
made: false
license:
    documentation: CC-BY-SA-3.0
licensor:
    name: 'Maurice L. Albertson'
    affliation: 'Village Earth'
    contact: 'https://www.appropedia.org/Maurice_L._Albertson'
documentation-home: 'https://www.appropedia.org/The_Missing_Link_for_Sustainable_Village_Development'
documentation-language: en