2025-03-11T14:45:51-04:00 2024-06-30 Jamie Matthews CPA PO Box 2996 Durango CO 81302 990 2023-07-01 204246752 Shanta Foundation Inc SHAN PO Box 1603 Durango CO 81302 Dennis Griffith Executive Direc 9707491198 2024-11-22 true true Jamie Matthews P01899878 9704608575 2025-03-11 2023 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z 738733 false X www.shantafoundation.org X 2006 CO To partner with underserved rural villages in Myanmar and Zambia to develop healthy communities. Through a collaborative process, we empower local leadership to make effective, sustainable change focusing on education, quality health care, and economic opportunities 9 9 4 9 0 0 663379 662681 0 18829 22720 1820 7145 684028 692546 263267 303660 0 211951 275759 4140 0 25645 80171 114234 559529 693653 124499 -1107 788868 1787469 42237 103388 746631 1684081 To partner with underserved rural villages in Myanmar and Zambia to develop healthy communities. Through a collaborative process, we empower local leadership to make effective, sustainable change focusing on education, quality health care, and economic opportunities false false 342879 177299 Village Development Project MyanmarShanta Foundation is pioneering a holistic, community-led, sustainable development model (Village Partnership Model VPM) that equips local people to permanently solve local problems; this approach fosters independency rather than dependency. Moreover, by placing local villagers in control of the partnership, the vestiges of colonialism (so ubiquitous in how international development is commonly implemented) are erased and the voices, choices, and sovereignty of local people are centered in the project design.When Shanta partners with a village (usually for six years), we begin by facilitating a process whereby the entire village elects a Village Development Team that will design and oversee the implementation of their villages development path. Our approach is not prescriptive. Rather, we believe that the villagers themselves know their context, complete with its opportunities, resources, and challenges, better than we ever will. As such, we facilitate a process whereby the villagers set their development priorities, actually choosing what projects will or wont be pursued. The VDT leads this work and begins by establishing a community bank. The community bank offers low interest loans to villagers, and they usually borrow to buy agricultural inputs. This accomplishes two things: first, each family s farming efforts are more profitable because their cost of capital is usually cut in half; second, with each successive loan cycle interest accumulates in the community bank, eventually growing to the point that villagers can withdraw money the funds needed to implement a new project or maintain an existing project.Once these core projects are established, we offer villagers a menu of additional projects (alternate agriculture, womens empowerment, clean water, school improvement teacher housing, healthcare, etc.), but villagers can also choose projects that are not It is their village, so the choices are 100% theirs to make.These are some of our accomplishments in Myanmar in 2024:In 2024, Shanta began four new village partnerships, and 105 projects from 19 different project types were implemented across 17 villages in Southern Shan State, Myanmar. These 19 project types fall under five main programs: Leadership, Womens Empowerment, Education and Health, Income Generation, and Infrastructure programs.Approximately 130 households and 6500 in population were beneficiaries of 2024 annual projects and programs.In both regions, there are approximately 179 Village Development Team members (~67 women and ~112 men). All of these VDT members volunteer their time, energy, and commitment to various projects. VDT meetings are held three times a year on average in each village. In 2024, project teams can help VDT improve in the following areas: oTransparency in information, finances, and action plansoInvolvement of all villagers in decision-making for priority selection and problem-solving.oEnhancing womens leadership participation and self-confidence among female leadersoAdding new members and supervision, along with leading other village development projectsoCoordination between VDT and village leadership in project management, as well as coordination with the local authority.The Community Bank (revolving fund) was established in five new partnership villages and the total fund in all 15 villages exceeds $55,000. The funds growth varies by village due to payment pattern, interest rate, receiving an additional extension of the fund, and using interest for village development activities. A minimum of 3% to a maximum of 41% of interest has been used for village development activities such as building schools, school maintenance and purchasing school furniture, teacher house maintenance, and purchasing school furniture, teacher house maintenance, village road repair, water system repair, and adding new books to the school library.Under the Women Empowerment Program, (1) Women Self-Help Group (SHG) project, (2) Women Group Discussion about Child Nutrition & Immunization, and Reproductive Health Knowledge sharing, and (3) Women Group Business projects were accomplished, which benefited women in 17 villages.oThe SHG saving project has been instrumental in empowering women in various communities. Currently, 20% of SHG members actively participate in village development teams, health committees, Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR), rice banks, scholarship programs, pig farming, community banking, accounting, finance, meeting note-taking, auditing, and village health education. oIn Southern Shan State, Shanta provided technical assistance for small business management. They coached several SHGs in developing business plans and supported each group with ~$1,000. There are eight self-help groups in both townships, and 114 women participate in small businesses. Three out of the eight groups are doing group businesses with their own funds without support from Shanta.oThere are 8 group businesses and two individual businesses. Four group businesses have already started generating profits in a short period of time, while the individual and the remaining 3 group businesses are still in the investment process. The 8 SHG group members possess knowledge of small business management, profit generation, and investment fund management. They also maintain proper records of their businesses. Moreover, doing business together promotes group harmony, transparency, and lively discussions among the members. For Income Generation & Economic Development, (1) the Soy Bean project, (2) the Ginger project, and (3) the Pig Farming project were accomplished in several villages and benefited over 400 people. 249545 126361 Village Development Project ZambiaZambia is our newest operational area and has four active village partnerships. We are currently implementing our Village Partnership Model (VPM) there in a similar fashion as we do in Myanmar. The difference is that we are intentionally adapting it to better fit the village context in southern Zambia. For example, child marriage is a significant problem in Zambia and contributes to a host of other social ills like extreme poverty, gender-based violence, high drop-out rates, etc. As such, and at the behest of our village partners, this issue has been centered in the Zambian adaptation of our VPM. Similar to Myanmar, in Zambia Shanta Foundation is pioneering a holistic, community-led, sustainable development model that equips local people to permanently solve local problems; this approach fosters independency rather than dependency. When Shanta partners with a village (usually for six years), we begin by facilitating a process whereby the entire village elects a Village Development Team (VDT) that will design and oversee the implementation of their villages development path. Out approach is not prescriptive. Rather, we believe that the villagers themselves know their context, complete with its opportunities, resources, and challenges, better than we ever will. As such, we facilitate a process whereby the villagers set their development priorities, actually choosing what projects will or wont be pursued. The VDT leads this work and begins by establishing a community bank. The community bank offers low interest loans to villagers, and they usually borrow to buy agricultural inputs. This accomplishes two things: first, each family s farming efforts are more profitable because their cost of capital is usually cut in half; second, with each successive loan cycle interest accumulates in the community bank, eventually growing to the point that villagers can withdraw money the funds needed to implement a new project or maintain an existing project.Once these core projects are established, we offer villagers a menu of additional projects (alternate agriculture, womens empowerment, clean water, school improvement, teacher housing, healthcare, etc.), but villagers can also choose projects that are not on this list. It is their village, so the choices are 100% theirs to make.These are a few of our accomplishments in Zambia in 2024:In 2023, Shanta Foundation partnered with Peoples Action Forum (PAF) and initiated village-based community-led development projects in the Siyowi region of Mazabuka to promote the development and empowerment of the local communities. In 2024, these projects are being executed in four villages: Nachili, Siyowi, Mpasu, and Kabanje. There are over 200 households spread across these four villages. After May 2023, a six-year partnership process was established, and the community selected 40+ village development team members, including men and women. The leadership project and Community Bank project were also established in 2023. This work has continued and expanded in 2024. Now we have four partner villages, and we will add a fifth in 2025.The Community Bank (CB) is a core community-led development project being implemented in Siyowi as part of the PAF/Shanta initiative. It was launched in June 2023 to prepare and disburse loans to community members. Shanta contributed $8,000, and the villages contributed $2,400 to establish four community banks. To be specific, we launched three in 2023 (Siyowi, Kabanje, and Nachili) and added a fourth in 2024 (Mapsu).The project directly benefits 200+ households and indirectly benefits 1000+ people through loans managed by village development teams. In the first year of the Community Bank, it was able to reach 88% which provided the opportunity to lend.The borrowers borrowed to invest in livestock such as goats, cows, and Chickens, farming investments, bicycles, and solar panels. The beneficiaries who received loans from the CB are now able to make profits from their businesses, which was previously difficult due to minimal capital. Sustainable Development Partnership with the Village Aid Project (VAP) at Fort Lewis CollegeShanta Foundation continues to work closely with VAP to bring water, road, bridges, and sanitation solutions to remote villages. VAP is a collective of FLC engineering students, engineering faculty, and other community members in Durango, Colorado. Relying on Shantas village selection process, VAP slots into Shantas more holistic model by bringing funding and expertise to bear on difficult infrastructure problems. In return, Shantas provides an overarching sustainability framework, ensuring that villagers are trained, equipped and empowered to contribute time and money to project implementation and project administration and maintenance. Given the ubiquity of abandoned or broken development projects, Shanta and VAP are perfect partners. VAP brings the technical expertise needed to address critical infrastructure needs, and Shanta organizes the village to invest in and maintain these projects.This year, Shanta and VAP will be implementing a large infrastructure project in Zambia. The project will include two borehole wells, a residential water distribution system, and two bridges. 592424 true true false false false false false false false true true false false false false false false false false false false true false false true false false false false false false false false true false false false false true false false false false false false false false false true 0 0 4 false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false X 9 9 false false false false false false false true true false false true true true true true true true false false X X Jamie Matthews CPA 9707491198 PO Box 2996 Durango CO 81302 Dennis Griffith Executive Director 40.00 0.00 X X 133722 0 3534 Tapati Dutta Director 4.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Tami Duke Director 4.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Meg Foley Director 4.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 James Hoffman Director 4.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Anna Pool Director 4.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Arlen Weiner Director 7.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Zachary Ray Co-Chair 4.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Mark Harmon President 7.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 David Peters Treasurer 4.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 133722 0 3534 1 false false false 1600 661081 29336 662681 22720 22720 53332 1600 46187 7145 7145 692546 0 0 29865 303660 303660 150726 120581 22609 7536 94468 64806 20789 8873 8417 6364 1490 563 22148 16746 3920 1482 12861 12861 17865 14292 2680 893 21623 17359 3255 1009 13496 10798 2024 674 37818 37818 325 325 Bank fees 3816 3816 Website 474 474 Board expense and insurance 5956 5956 693653 592424 75584 25645 213727 137478 217509 148 892854 62825 61027 24650 71801 4145 4145 487518 406125 675 788868 1787469 42237 103388 42237 103388 X 429733 499326 316898 1184755 746631 1684081 788868 1787469 X -1107 9407 929150 X false false X 197227 692028 930454 665199 661082 3145990 197227 692028 930454 665199 661082 3145990 1033038 2112952 1490 5255 11091 12695 22720 53251 3199241 0.66050 0.53530 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 33772 3161 36933 31598 2174 33772 31004 1690 -1096 31598 24596 1300 5108 31004 26422 -1826 24596 true false 4145 4145 rent deposit 675 675 East Asia and the Pacific Health & Livelihood 177299 Sub-Saharan Africa health and livelihood 126303 false false false false false false Insight Trip 48843 48843 42253 Fundraisers 6089 6089 3934 54932 54932 46187 46187 8745 Dennis Griffith Executive Director Downpayment Asst X 65000 61027 false true true 61027 X 1 29336 FMV false false false Form 990 governing body review Part VI line 11 All board members are given copies of the draft Form 990 and accompanying schedules to review. They are encouraged to ask questions. The draft Form 990 is discussed and approved in a board meeing prior to filing. Conflict of interest policy compliance Part VI line 12c Board members review and certify understanding and compliance by signing the conflict of interest policy when they join the board. Annually, the policy is reviewed at a board meeting and the board members are required to initial and recertify that they are in compliance. Additionally, if and when such a conflict arises, the member must report the conflict to the Board President withing five days. The President consults the board to determine if any action is needed to minimize the conflict. During this time, the members authority and participation are determined by the board through open discussion, until a decision is made regarding the conflict. CEO executive director top management comp Part VI line 15a Compensation of the executive director is discussed at least twice per year, during board meetings. Data considered when determining compensation includes job description, qualifications of staff memer, comparable salaries in the region, and cost of living. Governing documents etc available to public Part VI line 19 The Shanta Foundation offers to receive requests via telephone, mail, or electronic mail for copies of its Form 990, governing documents, conflict of interest policy, document retention policy, and summary financial statements. Such requests are honored with either paper or electronic read-only copies. Explanation of other changes in net assets or fund balances Part XI line 9 Pledges were recorded on cash basis prior to fiscal year 2024. Management follows GAAP for all other accounting decisions, as such, management recorded future pledge payments from prior periods to increase transparency in financial reporting.