Social sustainability
in practice
Change does not happen overnight. At LittleBigHelp, we work to create lasting improvements in people’s lives. This requires time, trust, and long-term efforts.
Charity versus development work
Development work takes time. It would be much easier for us to focus on what is traditionally known as charity, such as giving a blanket to meet an immediate need. Do not get us wrong. A blanket can be absolutely essential. For people who have fled without belongings, it can be life-saving. This kind of support is definitely also needed.
However, our work has a different focus. We aim to provide children, youth, women, and families with the tools to create a better life for themselves. Through education and awareness, they learn skills such as reading or a skills, enabling them to earn an income in both the short and long term.
When people earn their own money, it brings dignity and freedom. Perhaps what they needed most was a blanket, but it could also be medicine, access to education, food, or something else. That is why we focus on solutions that go beyond immediate relief.
Development work requires time and trust
Education and awareness take time. It takes years of schooling to complete an education, and changing mindsets, for example around child marriage, can take even longer.
Building relationships with the people we aim to empower also takes time, and this trust is essential for creating lasting change. That is why our efforts in slum communities are long-term.
At the same time, trust is about people. Our team in India is essential, as they meet children and women where they are, without judgment, but with empathy and an outstretched hand.
Our team has knowledge and experience of the culture, language, and social conditions that those of us raised and based in Denmark could never fully achieve. No one understands the communities better than they do. Through their daily presence in the slums, they build close relationships with both children and adults. This connection is crucial, as it creates the sense of safety needed for learning and makes it possible to intervene early in cases such as school dropout or domestic violence.
For people who have experienced repeated hardship, learning to trust again takes time. That is why we must be fully committed when we begin working in a new community.
Because ultimately, this is about lasting change. Our goals include ensuring that 80 percent of children attend school, that child marriage is eliminated, and that local communities actively support education.
What is social sustainability?
At LittleBigHelp, it is essential that our projects are socially sustainable. When we are no longer present in a slum area, it is because the initiatives we have started continue independently, such as homework support or the maintenance of women-friendly toilets, and because there is no longer a need for our presence.
As communities become more aware and supportive of education, parents ensure that their children are enrolled in school at the appropriate age. This means that our school readiness programmes are no longer needed.
We consider our work to be truly socially sustainable, and successful development work achieved, when we are no longer needed in a community.
Do you want to make a difference?
We are so grateful for the support to our work, so we can continue our projects.
Right now we are in need of more members and you can easily join us here:
