About Us

OUR PURPOSE

Global Self Help connects social entrepreneurs with resources to improve their communities. It's a platform for sharing ideas, expertise, time, and funding to create a better world.

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Our Core Values

Our mission is rooted in four simple values:

local communities are best placed to define their own needs, and what ‘better living condition’ means in their own social and cultural context
everyone has something positive to contribute
there are always solutions if the wisdom of many is cooperatively applied
transparency, integrity, accountability, and respect for all beings are the highest ideals for progress

Why Global Self Help?

A brief history of giving: The giving 'industry' has evolved over the past 50 years, largely in response to the changing needs of the developing world and the constant search to effectively respond to them. This evolution can best be described as generational.

During the 1st Generation stage, resources are allocated to developing countries through multinational organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program to fund and support local governments in their programs. The limitations are that resources do not always reach the people intended, programs are limited in scope and often miss the needs of the poorest, and there is little accountability or oversight. Programmatic resources often produce the exact outcomes they intend to. However, it remains that community-based, high-impact projects often fall outside of program scope, and opportunity is lost.

During the 2nd Generation, non-profit organizations reach out to foundations, institutions, and wealthy individuals to fund and support their programs with the promise of applying talent and resources to these programs for the betterment of the poor's lives. Interested donors give to the non-profit with (or without) restrictions, and the non-profit channels those resources through their own infrastructure to program partners working onsite. While this has been the most potent model for battling poverty, programs too often go under-managed because of resource constraints, programmatic changes, and non-profit scope and charter limits, sometimes missing the greatest needs of the poor. Accountability, oversight, and proof of impact are also challenging to obtain (though much work has been done recently in measuring program impact), and donors often don't see how their resources are used.

Now, the 3rd Generation. Electronic models have replaced many one-to-one interactions with donors and organized the donor community into a one-to-many model, creating a vast pool of donors and resources. Among 3rd generation models are websites that promote and broker microfinance loans to people in need around the world. While innovative, these models still focus on money as the primary resource for solving problems, leaving accountability, oversight, and impact measurement short. There is also the potential to foster discriminatory practices within microfinance that exclude higher-risk individuals (e.g., 3rd quartile poor) from having access to credit when they are potentially the ones who would most benefit from it.

Who We Are

Global Self Help is a not-for-profit organization that aims to build a project-driven self-help web-based model for alleviating poverty by providing those who organize local projects in their own communities (Social Entrepreneurs) with direct access to resources from those who have value to contribute (Social Donors, Social Contributors) in a free and open virtual marketplace.

The result will be the creation, execution, and completion of discrete high-social impact local projects that improve lives. These projects are chosen and supported based on their merit, ensuring that your contributions are making a real difference. Our ambition is to improve lives by leveraging the power in local communities where problems exist, and providing the tools and knowledge that allow people to help themselves.

Meet the Team

Christian Loupeda, Chairman and Founder

Christian has thirty years of experience in international development and expertise in poverty alleviation, microfinance and inclusive finance, digital finance, micro and small enterprise development, and business modeling. Christian has managed various projects in these areas and has strong project management skills.

Before co-founding Global Self-Help, Christian worked for the World Bank and several international NGOs, including Catholic Relief Services, Freedom from Hunger, and the Grameen Foundation. He is currently the co-founder and CEO of Inclusive Finance Accelerators (www.ifaconsults), a consulting firm specializing in financial inclusion, digital finance, and innovative models for access to finance by low-income populations, and co-founder and board member of Axcon Energy, a company specialized in solar energy promotion in Africa.

Hanouvi Agbassekou, Board Secretary and Founder

Hanouvi Agbassekou is a founding member of GSH and its secretary. She was born and raised in Lome, Togo. She holds a master’s degree in educational leadership at Sacramento State University and a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Togo. She currently works in the Office of Education, Training, and Career Development with the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is passionate about adult professional development and nonprofit projects. Recently, Hanouvi completed a certificate in non-profit organization and management with the Solano College.

Prior to that, she was the Residency Coordinator in Radiology, facilitating the recruitment and onboarding of new residents and making sure they progress through their learning and required certifications before moving onto their fellowship. She also worked as the Curriculum Coordinator at the School of Nursing working closely with faculty members to plan new courses while maintaining current projects. During the economic downturn in 2010, she started Afrique Design making home décor items using African textiles. In her spare time, Hanouvi loves to garden and helps friends and family start organic gardening. She lives with her husband in California.

Michael Gollnick, Treasurer and Founder

Michael Gollnick has over 25 years of experience in strategy, business, marketing, and product development across five industries: consulting, automotive/transportation, mobile software, real estate, and NGO microfinance. Combining practical experience with a passion for solving complex issues, Michael has used his background to address matters ranging from advanced transportation systems to global hunger. He has participated and led in executing growth strategies and guided work groups on priorities for achieving overarching strategic objectives. Gollnick also led two start-up companies through early-stage growth and expanded sales by $100M+ in two corporate business units. He supported the launch of three non-profit subsidiaries in Africa, India, and Latin America.

With this broad base of leadership experience, Michael brings a unique perspective to creating and executing practical strategies that have a sustainable impact. He also leverages a wide variety of professional relationships throughout the world to deliver value in the areas of innovation and technology. Michael holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Iowa. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and son and is passionate about baseball, cooking, and traveling.

Dimitri Komi Klomega, Country Representative (Togo)

Dimitri Komi KLOMEGA, Country Representative of Global Self Help in Togo, is a professional in the field of development project management. He has a solid academic background, including a degree in social sciences and certification in sustainable development and international solidarity project management, obtained from the UNESCO chair at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny University of Cocody in Ivory Coast. Thanks to his expertise and dedication, he has successfully led and continues to lead several initiatives within renowned NGOs in Togo, contributing significantly to sustainable development and solidarity in the country.

An Open Virtual Marketplace

A virtual open and collaborative marketplace will have social entrepreneurs and social investors interacting directly in a many-to-many environment, creating sustainable solutions in a free exchange of ideas, expertise, time, and money. Transparency in financial reporting, progress, accountability, and impact will ensure this marketplace is reliable, as the participants compete freely and determine supply and demand based on the project's merit.

Join our Community

Partner with us, either as a social entrepreneur by proposing your high-impact projects or as a social contributor by sharing your knowledge and your financial contribution to support projects and to better parts of the world. Either way, your participation will positively impact someone’s life.

By donating your money, your time, and expertise, you are lifting someone, a community, out of poverty. Whether you help a project build a well to irrigate a garden to feed the orphans or donate money to build composting toilets to eradicate diseases in a remote village, coming together as a community will leave a legacy.

Contact Us

info@globalselfhelp.org