What is the Epicenter Strategy?

The epicenter strategy is a proven, large-scale, low-cost methodology for empowering the people of rural communities in Africa to be the authors of their own development, and succeed in meeting all their basic needs on a sustainable basis, including the UN Millennium Development Goals. Through four well-defined phases, the strategy brings people from abject poverty to self-reliance in five years. There are currently more than 100 epicenters mobilized.

An epicenter is defined as a cluster of 10 to 15 villages within a 10km radius, with a population of approximately 10,000 people, that come together to meet basic needs. The centerpiece of the strategy is an L-shaped epicenter building that houses the community’s programs for health, education, food security and economic development. The community elects an overall epicenter committee and forms subcommittees to manage each program.

• This strategy is replicable. It has already been applied and is improving lives in eight countries of East, West and Southern Africa.
• It empowers women. Women in Africa are the most important – yet least supported – producers on the Continent. The epicenter strategy places women and their leadership at the center of the development process.
• It is integrated and holistic. It achieves synergy among programs in health (including HIV/AIDS prevention), education, adult literacy, nutrition, improved farming and food security, microfinance, water and sanitation, and building community spirit with a momentum of accomplishment involving the entire population.
• It is economically sustainable. The primary resources for the strategy come from the local people themselves, and by making existing local government resources more effective. Income generation is built into the strategy from the start. Within five years, our epicenters require no further financial support from The Hunger Project. They are entirely self-reliant.
• It is environmentally sustainable.  People at our epicenters learn composting and small-scale, environmentally sound irrigation technologies such as drip irrigation.
• It is based on a fundamentally different framework of thinking. Most programs treat local people as “beneficiaries” and, despite the best of intentions, reinforce dependency. The Hunger Project treats local people as the primary authors and actors for their own development. 
• It works. It achieves success on a continent where failure is all too common.