The Global Development Organization and the Building Goodness Foundation met Monday evening for a discussion about sustainability in relationships.
The Global Development Organization, a student-run University group, works to reduce global poverty and inequality, said President Sarah Turkaly, a fourth-year College student.
“As an organization, GDO seeks to bring together like-minded students from all disciplines to network and also discuss ideals relating to development issues,” she said.
Kelly Eplee, executive director for the Building Goodness Foundation, which sends construction volunteers to work on projects in developing countries, spoke about managing charity resources to maximize aid to developing countries.
“A lot of groups focus on fulfilling certain requirements,” Eplee said. “They need to start focusing on how to make lasting change.”
Eplee also discussed the importance of developing programs which produce measurable success. Measures of success often vary between people and organizations, she said. NGOs, for example, often measure success through achieving established missions, while people often measure the success through the quality of relationships.
The foundation helps to develop buildings in poor countries in the Caribbean such as Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras and Ecuador, and has built churches, schools, community centers and clinics.
The foundation has also done work within Charlottesville to help low-income families, and works with students from the Darden School.
Eplee said the organization focuses on the Millennium Development Goals from the United Nations, which include women’s health, education, ecology, and economic development.