Direct Development International was conceived with two aspects of American life in mind: the overall excess in which each citizen participates and witnesses, and the feelings of powerlessness that come with reading stories of crushing poverty in the news.
The excess of America is evidenced in tremendous amounts of unwanted clothes, books, electronics, and similar goods that could be put to great use by impoverished people in developing countries, if only there existed the means with which they could be received.
Feelings of powerlessness result from the removed character of many stories in the news that describes the effects of poverty on people in the developing world. Thus, Direct Development International is taking a two tiered, hands on approach to development beginning with the tapping of the resources of American excess, and then finding volunteers to deliver these goods to the people who need them most. However, it does not stop there.
Direct Development International seeks to combat ideas on the powerlessness of Westerners to help fight poverty. We seek to tap into excess wealth, a product of life in the West, in order to directly distribute surplus goods — clothing, computers, books, etc., to the people who need them most. DDI is not a remote poverty alleviation group, but instead one that seeks to actively and directly combat poverty firsthand.
The true vision of Direct Development International is to empower people who want to make a difference, and come up with cost-efficient ways to produce results. Limitations to the power of active minds are meager, and DDI wants to emphasize that the best way to assist our friends in the developing world is to do it ourselves, directly.