Partners in Sustainable Development International (PSDI) is a 501(c) 3 organization, founded to support and replicate its unique model of poverty eradication as it is being implemented in Bangladesh.

The PSDI model is founded on respect for all people and the belief that in partnering with the poor to help them find the necessary resources, they will devise creative ways to successfully solve their own problems and become contributing members of society.

The model is holistic in its approach to alleviating extreme poverty among rural populations and is replicable anywhere in the developing world.  Its success and measurability are based on each family working with a social worker to develop an individual long-range plan for its economic uplift and biweekly social worker visits to monitor progress and ensure success. 

Accountability & Measurability
Families are reassessed every three years to be sure that they are meeting their goals as they work toward financial security and independence. Graduation means a family is self-sufficient, has assets, savings, access to pure water, sanitary latrines, basic healthcare, income-producing skills and their children attend school.  Most families graduate permanently out of poverty within a ten year cycle.

The success of the model is measured by the positive changes in a family’s life, the continued progress in their plan for independence, the number of children who have completed the 2 year primary school and have transitioned into government schools, maintained financial stability and the impact the program has had on the community.

International Recognition and Awards
The PSDI model has been nominated for Belgium’s King Baudoin International Prize for Development, honored twice by the World Bank’s Global Development Network as one of the ten most innovative projects in the world with the most potential for helping humanity, and twice named one of the world’s ten most sustainable economic development programs by the Rio Tinto Alcan.