Core Values

Before we get into the projects, the mission, the story, and all the intricacies that make us Pauline Juliet (“PJ”), it’s important for us to explain our core values. These values lay the framework for all that we do and show you the perspective from which we work. This model has proved effective for PJ, but we are always looking for ways to grow and become even better: more inclusive, more representative, and more impactful.

Partnership/Teamwork

Pauline Juliet is and always will be a collective of ideas, people, and groups. Every person that has helped PJ grow is a part of our story. And, likewise, we want to help them grow as well. Partnership is a core value, because we do not view other nonprofits as competition but as likeminded groups working towards similar goals. We never want to push other organizations, people, or small businesses down to succeed; we want to succeed together.

Women-led Projects/ Community-led Projects

As an organization geared towards the empowerment of women and girls, we put women at the forefront of all our work, including leadership positions. It is important for us to never speak for the people we work with but instead, give them platforms to speak and illuminate their voices. We believe that only they know what is best for them. For this reason, representatives of each cause always lead our projects. We never move forward on projects without the community input at our grand meetings and the green light from our women’s empowerment association (500 registered members). All our projects in Uganda are Ugandan led, and all our projects globally are led by the communities they are based in.

Grassroots Work

Grassroots work is a core value for PJ, because it is important for us to support the communities we work in. Whenever possible, we purchase supplies from local businesses (whether in Kiboga or Pittsburgh). We strive to collaborate with local nonprofits, groups, and schools. Finally, we are committed to community involvement as mentioned before.

Sustainability

Sustainability is valuable to us, because we believe in making an impact. We are constantly thinking of ways to work sustainably to continue our projects with minimal overhead, to be environmentally friendly, and to create work that can be easily replicated by others.

Integrity/ Transparency/ Accountability

One thing we’ve always valued is being transparent. As we grow and develop our organization and website, we want to share our budgets, 990s, and financial breakdowns. Accountability goes along with transparency. When we make a mistake, we don’t want to hide from it and when things change in our operations, we want you to know.

Anti-Discrimination

We are a women-centered organization and all our projects focus on uplifting marginalized groups. We believe that focusing on women/girls and lower-income individuals helps the entire community thrive. That being said, many of our projects are open to the entire community (Kiboga/Pittsburgh/Etc.) regardless of gender or class. When working with women and girls we never discriminate on the basis of religion, race, sexuality, gender-expression, cultural differences, lifestyle, tribe, or ability.