Jeff Kline, founder of the Self Reliance Foundation, uses the well-known Chinese proverb to describe the organization’s philosophy:  If you give a hungry man a fish, you feed him for a day; but if you teach him how to fish, he can feed his family for a lifetime.

The ultimate goal of “Self Reliance” guides all of SRF’s activities.  Our programs seek to empower individuals and communities to make well-informed decisions that improve their lives, by providing information and opportunities for self-reliance and empowerment.

We aspire to contribute to a “collective self-reliance” in the underserved populations that we work with, and we believe strongly in the power of community.  Using the tools of mass media, community outreach, and other multi-directional communication channels, we seek to inspire communities to exercise their collective power as a force for positive transformation.