What We Do

Offering local communities the benefit of a bigger picture.

Astarte enhances access to quality reproductive health services by building leaders in communities affected by crisis.“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

-John Quincy Adams

What defines leadership? Strength. Integrity. Dedication. Humility. Vision.

In the wake of conflict and natural disasters, in a seemingly desert of hopelessness, there is the boldness of leaders.

They too have left their home with neighbors to find refuge. Yet, despite challenges, they recognize the pressing needs of their community—the need to provide reproductive health services to the most vulnerable.

Our Approach

Astarte seeks out leaders and heroes in crisis. We connect communities to a bigger, global picture by linking leaders with resources. With these resources, leaders can leverage funding to build the dreams of their community. We call this capacity building.

“For capacity building in any area of our country’s recovery to be truly sustainable, it must be indigenous. It must flow from the people themselves. It must be built upon the experience of all Liberians. It must be driven by their present social conditions and by their dreams and desires for the future.”
–Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia

We believe that by building the skills and strength of local communities, we can reduce poverty, empower women and families, and create a hopeful future for the next generation of communities in and emerging from crisis.

How We Do It

“It’s about not only what you get from the community but what you give. I’m a leader is some way. I wasn’t really like that before.”

-Leader in Lofa County, Liberia

Refugees who have escaped crisis may have lost their home and belongings, but they bring with them their skills, experience, and determination to survive all odds. We support these exceptional, committed people who have established their own initiatives to address the health needs of their communities.

Skills Training:

While leaders are passionate and skilled in a particular area, they often do not have access to the resources that adequately meet the needs of their community. We provide trainings to build reproductive health skills and to ensure access to information about emerging approaches in reproductive health.

Strengthening Local Initiatives:

Amidst crisis, leaders begin to respond to the health needs of their communities. These initiatives tend to have less experience in translating money into health programs. Mentoring and trainings around budgeting, evaluation and management allow them to leverage funding. The result is more valuable health programs that reach more people.

Coordination, Communication, Networks:

Coordination and communication is often poor among groups responding to crisis and emergencies. While services may be available in one area, they are not in others.

We encourage network-building among local groups both within the country and region. This allows leaders to not only share experiences, but also work together to provide life-saving services before, during, and after crisis.