Shanta Village Partners

Home
United States
Durango, CO
Shanta Village Partners

Durango, Colorado based nonprofit empowering rural villages through sustainable economic development in Myanmar & Zambia. Formally Shanta Foundation

Partnering with communities for 6 years focusing on health, education, and livelihood.

09/03/2026

Khun Soe Myint decided to treat his farm like a science fair project. Turns out that was a great call.

He planted soybeans across three different plots and tracked every dollar in and out like he was running a small business, because he was. Turns out soybeans cost about half of what corn does to grow and bring in way more money.

Now he's got a seed-threshing machine, plans to plant nine more acres, and a line of neighbors wanting to use his equipment.

Never underestimate a farmer with a notebook and a hunch.

09/01/2026

A lot of aid money moves into a village and right back out again once the grant runs out. Community banks actually stay put.

Earlier this year, Janet Nyoni (a Program Manager with our Zambian partner, People's Action Forum) interviewed a woman in her village about what having access to a community bank means for her day-to-day life.

With a small loan, she started buying fish from the river and reselling it locally. That income pays for her daughter's preschool. When she pays the loan back, she can borrow again for whatever comes up next.

The villagers elect their own management committee and write their own rules. We aren't in the village managing it, because the system doesn't need us to be.

08/27/2026

Seb spent time in Zambia recently, and he came back with photos that do more than any paragraph we could write. Swipe through and take a look at the people behind this work.

No long story attached to this one. Just wanted you to see them.

📸 : Sebastian Farrell
https://www.instagram.com/seb.farre1l/

08/26/2026

Huge thanks to the Durango Chamber of Commerce and to Desert Sun Coffee Roasters for a great Business After Hours last week!

Here's a fun way to think about fighting extreme poverty: start with your coffee order. Desert Sun works directly with farmers, and every cup helps them build their own path forward instead of depending on someone else to build it for them.

What's better than incredible coffee with Durango roots that makes an impact?

08/25/2026

In 2024, 15-year-old Nang had a really tough choice to make: take a summer English course, or spend her school break picking tea leaves to earn some much-needed money for her family.

She chose to work, earning about $24 for the whole summer. But when regular classes started back up, the gap was pretty obvious. The kids who took the summer course were reading with confidence and raising their hands, while Nang felt behind and started avoiding class discussions completely.

She didn't let it happen again, though. The following summer, she saved up her own snack allowance to cover the $2.40 course fee. She didn't miss a single day of class. Her test score climbed from a 17 to a 66. And this year? She hit a 92 out of 100 and won Second Prize.

The coolest part is what her teacher told us: lessons that used to take three class periods now only take two, just because so many students like Nang went through the summer program and are tracking together.

Want to get more inspiring, behind-the-scenes stories like this delivered straight to your inbox? Use the link below to sign up for our newsletter!
https://shantavillagepartners.org/newsletter/

08/21/2026

A few years ago, a handful of villages near Mazabuka got access to clean water and solar power, built and maintained entirely by the people who live there. Wade didn't expect what happened after that. The local government showed up on its own, started a feeding program at the school, and added a health room for the eight hundred kids who go there. Now there's talk of building space for delivering babies at the clinic too.

None of that came from Shanta's budget. It happened because the community proved it could run the thing it built.

In episode 40 of the Rise Podcast, Wade goes solo and talks through a few realities of this work that don't usually make it into a donor newsletter. This is one of them: development attracts development. Build something that actually holds up, and other people start wanting in.

Episode 40 is live now on your favorite streaming platforms or: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2186863/episodes/18868819-episode-40

08/13/2026

Fridah Mweete is 16 and lives in Nachili Village in Zambia. When she finished 5th grade, her parents separated. She moved in with her aunt, and with all the family disruption, school just kind of stopped happening. She was out of the classroom for two whole years.

Then she moved in with her dad and heard about the Girls Action Forum (a mentorship program we run with People's Action Forum). She started going in October and didn't miss a single meeting.

By the fourth session, her mentor noticed she wasn't enrolled in school, went straight to talk to Fridah's dad, and ended up buying Fridah a school uniform with her own money so she could re-enroll.

Now she's in 7th grade and wants to be a doctor.

That's the kind of localized, on-the-ground support that actually changes lives. When you give to Shanta, you're directly funding programs like the Girls Action Forum so more girls like Fridah have someone looking out for them. If you've been thinking about becoming a monthly donor, this is exactly what your gift supports.

08/11/2026

If you're looking for something fun to do next Thursday!

08/07/2026

This one's just a thank you.

Five villages with five working water systems and twelve miles of trench dug completely by hand. None of this happens without an incredible crew behind the scenes.

Village Aid Project brought the engineering chops and the fundraising muscle. People's Action Forum and Durango High Noon Rotary brought critical local support. Over 30 Fort Lewis College students and faculty traveled out to coach villagers through the entire build. And our donors (yes, you!) brought the belief that people in these communities deserve clean water and a future they own.

We say it all the time because it never stops being true: the people are the project. Thank you so much for being a part of this one!

08/05/2026

People who want to volunteer their time and energy internationally have the absolute best intentions. We love that heart! But over the years, we’ve realized that traditional "voluntourism" often has unintended consequences.

When western organizations fly in to fix a problem, it accidentally sends a message that the local community isn't capable of doing it themselves.

We believe the most sustainable way to end extreme poverty is to ensure local villagers are the heroes of their own stories. They have the talent, they do the work, and because they built it, they know exactly how to maintain it!

So, while we won’t send you to Zambia to build a bridge, we do host Insight Trips where you can travel as a guest and a learner to see this incredible local leadership in action.

Address

Durango, CO
81302

Telephone

+19707491198

Website

https://shantavillagepartners.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Shanta Village Partners posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Shanta Village Partners:

Featured

In His Time Recovery Residence for Males
Closed

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Durango?