Practical Action

Practical Action aims to use simple technology to challenge poverty and transform lives in developing countries like Zimbabwe, Sudan, Balgladesh, Kenya, Peru, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Donate to Practical Action Today

  • Local communities are at the heart of Practical Action's projects, by giving them the skills and resources to manage and implement the solutions and so work their way towards a brighter future.
  • Please do something special today. Offer the hand of friendship to poor communities by making a regular donation by Direct Debit. Be part of the solutions that will change the lives of people in poor communities day after day, year after year.
Practical Action

Practical Action

from £3.00 a month

Registered Charity Number: 247257

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Practical Action - People First, Then Technology

Practical Action has a unique approach to development - they don't start with technology, but with people. The tools may be simple or sophisticated - but to provide long-term, appropriate and practical answers, they must be firmly in the hands of local people: people who shape technology and control it for themselves.

For over 40 years Practical Action has been investing in simple and extremely effective technologies that give determined people the power to change their lives. Their experience tells them that you can’t solve poverty by giving handouts - instead they work together with people in their homes and communities, listening and learning from them.Practical Action work at the heart of desperate communities across the world, helping people to find simple, sustainable solutions to problems they face.

How your money can be spent

  • Food can be grown on a raft built of water hyacinth, a local weed, so the crop floats on top of water instead of being devastated by the flood. Just £6 helps a family build their first floating garden.
  • In Darfur, women must venture out of the relative safety of the refugee camp, risking their lives, to gather firewood to cook the food they receive as aid. A new design of stove, made from local materials halves the amount of firewood they need, so they make fewer life threatening journeys outside. £25 buys enough materials for 20 stoves for women and their families.

Practical Action Project Information

  • They don't believe in imposing quick fixes. All projects are sustainable, using local materials and are organised and run by local people.
  • They overcome poverty across the world using practical, tangible and often innovative solutions. The use of simple technologies and shared knowledge is key to their work.
  • They make sure that the money that funds their work goes directly to offices in that country rather than the government, so you can be sure the money goes only to the people who need it.

About Practical Action

The charity was formed by radical economist Dr EF Schumacher in 1966 to bring improvements to the lives of the poorest people in the world using appropriate technology using sustainable local materials.

UsingTechnology to Change the World Practical Action believes that the right idea - however small - can change lives. It can create jobs, improve health and livelihoods, and help people have better lives. That's why, since 1966, they've been working with poor people to develop the skills and technology that will enable them to build a better future.