Overview of PEOPLE TO PEOPLE, INC

Bob Corbett
March 1997

Quite a few people have written to ask exactly who and what is PEOPLE TO PEOPLE, INC. What follows is an attempt to answer some of these questions. I will run this letter on the PTP mailing list from time to time.

PEOPLE TO PEOPLE, INC. is a private charity, a 501(c)(3) organization having tax-deductible status with the IRS. Our work is about 95% in Haiti though we do house some of our work in the slums of St. Louis in feeding centers, homeless shelters and the like. But that's a very tiny part.

PTP is non-sectarian.

It is also an all-volunteer organization. I do most of the running of it, though there are a few other volunteers who do this and that. No one gets paid a cent. Since I run PTP out of my offices at Webster University and my home, there are no overhead expenses for rent, utilities and the like.

I do charge a few long-distance calls to PTP and we have some printing and mailing expenses with our begging letters to the mailing list. Otherwise, 100% of money donated to PTP goes into the work in Haiti. Money that is used for the St. Louis work is money donated specifically for that purpose. Some donors specify exactly what their money is to be used for, others just say do what we think best. But, unless money is specifically designated for St. Louis, we use it for Haiti.

Our income is just about $100,000 a year, though this year (1996) it is considerably down from that. The political break down in Haiti, and the inability of many of our projects to continue on during the period of the coup hurt donations. Now, too, people are thinking that the international community is going to pour all this money into Haiti, so they are hesitant to donate money. [1999 note: Donations for 1998 were at $120,000]

PEOPLE TO PEOPLE'S WORK IN AND FOR HAITI HAS 3 MAIN THRUSTS

1. PEOPLE TO PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. We are currently funding about 30 small development projects. These are mainly with small rural community organization, too small to attract the attention of larger organizations. Most of PTP's projects are loans to help community organizations start up small businesses which will benefit both the community and the community organization. I describe the development projects as "liberarting" development projects, and also describe them as "people centered." They are liberating in several senses. One is that we try to move the project toward no dependence on PTP. Secondly, we try to develop the community organization's ability to run itself and grow in sophistication. They are "people centered" in that PTP's aim is less the material benefit of the project (though the material benefit is almost always the community's major concern), but PTP is concerned in developing the people's abilities and skills in operating a community organization and running projects in successful ways. One STRICT rule of PTP development projects is that we do not take ANY ideas for projects to Haiti, and refuse donated money which is for projects which the donor wants done. We find community organizations which have projects they want to do and then seek funds to help them and offer other services (expert advice, administrative guidance etc.) to help them achieve success.

   I should note that currently we are FULL. We cannot expand to take on new development projects, so please don't send up requests to fund new projects. We are struggling to fund the projects we have and to expand in these same communities. I don't think that we can take on new projects for a long time to come.

2. PEOPLE TO PEOPLE basic charity work.

   We do have some basic charity work we do. PTP helps fund a clinic and infant feeding program in Cite Soleil, a few schools, a nutrition center in the Central Plateau, and a few emergencies we run into here and there.

   Most of these basic charity projects are from the early days of PTP's involvement in Haiti (we began our work in 1982) and we have no plans at all to extend this facet of PTP work.

3. PEOPLE TO PEOPLE'S EDUCATIONAL FUNCTION.

   I am committed to spending a large portion of my time educating people about Haiti. Today this educational work has moved to the internet, and this mailing list and what goes on in it is a part of that work.

   Additionally I maintain a very large English language library on Haiti and am tooling up to begin to offer various library services both on line and in the library itself.

   PTP provides speakers about Haiti to various community groups, schools, universities and other interested groups.

   Through my work at Webster University, I am offering a growing number of credit courses at the university in Haitian studies and will soon be bringing some of these credit courses to the internet. The first of these is currently on-line.

DONATIONS TO OUR WORK IN HAITI ARE GREATFULLY ACCEPTED.

YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS CAN BE MAILED TO:

PEOPLE TO PEOPLE, INC.
1419 TAMM AVE.
ST. LOUIS, MO 63139

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