PFD works to improve the standard of living and build the skills of underserved populations in developing countries. Our programs strive to meet the basic human needs of vulnerable populations through community-driven work in health, agriculture, water and sanitation, veterinary health, and credit.

Much as its name implies, Partners for Development gives the fullest priority to the role of partnerships throughout every aspect of its work. This includes work with community organizations, citizen and faith-based groups, village councils, local NGOs, and national, local, and municipal authorities. PFD's partnerships also include working with and harnessing the resources of bilateral and multilateral donors, international NGOs, academic institutions, and the private sector.

Throughout all phases of program design and implementation, PFD ensures that communities themselves are substantively involved. Partners for Development often employs the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methodology in community development, ensuring that community residents set priorities and develop a community action plan to address problems. This approach increases local ownership of programs and ensures that programs are targeted and appropriate for local needs. This, in turn, increases program sustainability.

Working through and with local communities also results in capacity building in the communities themselves, as skills are passed on to local participants in programming, management, and evaluation, or in specific sectors such as health, agriculture, water and sanitation, or credit. A key objective for PFD is to help vulnerable populations "move on to the next logical step," and to help them to acquire the skills required to maintain relevant and appropriate interventions with limited outside assistance. The ultimate goal is an improved quality of life for those in underserved or remote areas.

In determining where and in what sectors to work, PFD considers a number of key factors above and beyond locally expressed need:

• Transfer of skills to local institutions and individuals
• Solid prospects that project benefits will be sustainable
• Potential for replication of the project model to other areas
• Ability to properly administer and manage interventions
• Sufficient security and freedom of movement

Integrity is a hallmark of the organization, with our small size allowing us the flexibility to carry out those programs, and only those programs, we feel are right and appropriate.

PFD currently has country programs in Cambodia, Nigeria, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. The U.S. headquarters is located in Silver Spring, MD outside of Washington, DC.