Principles of Operation

The Lotus principles

  • Funds projects which enable communities and families to work towards improving the quality of their lives through self-help initiatives.
  • Gives disadvantaged young people vocational training opportunities increasing their skills and their chances of securing employment.
  • Sponsors communities, through mainly self-help community development/livelihood projects, and stays with them for a period of up to 7 years.

After 7 years, statistics show that communities are able to become more self-sufficient and rely materially less on donations.

  • Stays close to the communities and projects through good working relationships with its local NGO partners.

Staying close to local NGO partners and the communities enable Lotus to quickly give ad hoc assistance in case of emergencies, such as drought and flooding.

  • Ensures Third Party funds are not used for general NGO administration costs. A proportion of third-party funds goes towards project costs, but these are minimal and are clearly shown to donors up front in proposals. For each project, Lotus covers a big part of the NGOs operational costs with its own funds.
  • Creates and supports projects which improve the income opportunities of the NGOs themselves. The sustainability of the NGOs has become crucial for their own existence, and therefore of the projects themselves.
  • Gives Donors assurance that their funding goes towards projects operated, monitored and controlled by NGOs with proven track records. The NGOs report direct to third-party donors on a regular basis.
  • Ensures that third-party funds are not used for general NGO administration costs. A proportion of third-party funding goes towards project costs, but these are minimal and are clearly shown to donors up front in proposals.
  • Decided to focus on Cambodia, as the legacy of its past and the disruption it caused to rural communities had devastating effects to the livelihood of the communities. The rebuilding of trust amongst the communities and the restoring of skills lost are essential elements to a better future.