Our Vision
At Help for Optimism we envision a world free from suffering, a world in which every person can have agency over her or his own life, and access to basic human rights, including clean water, sanitation, hygiene, safety, nutrition, education, employment and improved livelihoods. Our work strives to contribute to the resilience and sustainable development of local communities so that people can live healthy and fulfilling lives. We believe that attention must be placed on the most vulnerable groups in the communities we work in, as it is only through an inclusive and bottom-up approach that we can foster long-term change.
We currently operate in North West Madagascar, but our aim is to create a model of sustainable development that can be replicated in different parts of the world.
Our Mission
H4O was established by a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) engineer in 2014 and we are the only NGO in this area of Madagascar with a strong focus on water and sanitation. Our holistic approach to development sets our water and sanitation interventions within a much broader framework of Development, encompassing Health, Education, Economic Development, Sport and Creative Practices. Our programmes are co-designed and co-led by local people and run on a long-term basis to ensure they catalyse tangible results and positive change. We also support communities to set up their own social enterprises so that members can develop awareness and ownership of natural resources and local assets.
