Welcome to Kazembe Village, a rural hamlet in the Mulanje District of Malawi. For most residents, extreme poverty is the norm. Indeed, extreme poverty is growing only in rural Africa because international aid concentratesin the urban areas, bypassing the countryside. It’s immoral and undemocratic (in Malawi, about 85% of the population lives in countryside). We created Village X Org to deliver aid in a democratic way. Turns out, it’s a lot faster, cheaper, and more effective than the status quo. Back to Kazembe.

In early 2015, we approached Kazembe with a simple question: "With modest cash transfers from us, would you harness local money, labor, and materials to complete development projects of your choosing?" The answer: "Hell, yes, it's about time a NGO asked what we want!" Kazembe’s chief leapt into action by calling village-wide meetings and organizing a committee to plan and implement projects. Little known fact: villages are powerful democracies not because leaders are elected (they’re not), but because of the strong economic and social ties that align their interests with those of their neighbors.

Read the full article about Village X's impact project in Africa by Mike Buckler, CEO of Village X Org, at medium.com.