Development with not for the people

We recognise that local communities have their own strengths, abilities, and resources, and they understand their needs better than anyone. They are the best architects of their own development, and E3 comes alongside local partners to offer support – whether through training, funding, mentoring, prayer, or friendship.

When a community owns a project, it is far more likely to succeed in the long term. Sustainable transformation happens from within, bringing dignity, hope, and real empowerment. No outsider can fully understand what a community needs or what will work best.

Participation in the process is just as important as the outcome. E3 works closely with its partners to help them assess local needs, create responsive plans, and refine strategies. Equipping and training partners is a key part of this process. Additionally, E3 encourages partners to review activities regularly and apply for E3 grants annually, ensuring consistent monitoring and lasting impact.

Materially poor, but spiritually rich

Although they may be materially poor, many of the people we meet in E3 partner communities are spiritually rich. Unlike those in the West, who often take material comforts for granted, these communities rely on God for everything – literally their daily bread. Their faith is deeply rooted in trust, resting in God’s sovereignty to sustain them each day.

While we can support and empower communities to break the cycle of poverty, we also have much to learn from their unshakable faith and resilience. True community transformation happens through partnership, not charity, and addresses practical, emotional, and spiritual needs. The local churches and faith-based organisations we work with are uniquely positioned to provide this holistic support, as we work together to create lasting change and bring eternal hope.

Transparency and good stewardship

With years of experience of working in a grassroots context, our application and monitoring and evaluation processes are transparent and designed to shape project development. Partners are required to have transparent bookkeeping systems in place prior to funding and once a partnership is established, regular reporting and site visits ensure that the money continues to be well used.

Why support E3?

For E3, being small is a virtue, enabling us to connect with smaller churches and organisations right at the grassroots. We often develop lasting relationships with our partners, some of whom we have partnered with for well over a decade.

E3 works hard to minimise the running costs of the charity so more of our income can fund the work of our partners. Over the last 20 years, on average, 92.5% of expenditure was spent on our charitable activities on the ground in southern Africa. We spent only 7.5% of our expenditure on running costs (marketing, fundraising, admin and governance costs). These functions are essential for the effective and sustainable operation of our charity.

We carefully monitor our budget and expenditure to ensure we are good stewards of the resources that have been entrusted to us. When you donate to a specific appeal or programme, every penny of your donation goes to that project.

E3 is unashamedly Christian and works with local churches and faith-based organisations, who serve people in need regardless of their religious beliefs. Their activities provide practical, emotional and spiritual support to those they serve.

We're committed to minimising the marketing and fundraising costs while ensuring effective communication with our donors and prayer supporters. That's why we opt for email and social media to share impact stories and engage with our community, rather than spending on fundraising mailings and advertising. Our approach is rooted in our faith and trust in God's provision. Our Communications and Fundraising Manager is part-time and our active trustees fundraise and build support as volunteers.