Who We Are
In 2010, Janet Reineck set out to combine her background in anthropology, humanitarian aid, and dance, and started a nonprofit, “World Dance for Humanity.” She turned an ordinary dance class into something extraordinary: a community of people reaching beyond themselves to make a real change in the world.
Through the years, WD4H has funded grassroots projects in Nepal, Guatemala, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, and Uganda. Since 2013, we have been focused on Rwanda, where we are helping 12,000 people in 28 rural cooperatives left divided and destitute by the 1994 Genocide. The communities are led by Genocide survivors who formed agricultural cooperatives in an effort to stay alive.
We provide the co-ops with goats and cows, farmland, stipends for students, training in agriculture, business, and leadership, and seed money for community-run businesses. Our model is grounded in collaboration, trust, and transparency. Our four-person Rwanda team works on a very personal level with the co-op members, helping them envision and plan their projects so they can lift themselves out of poverty and own their transformation. Our daily communication with the team and annual visits to the co-ops give us a deep connection with the communities. We are witnessing an extraordinary transformation as these people acquire the resources, skills, and confidence they need to move beyond their tortured past, believe in each other, and create a sustainable livelihood together.
Thanks to an annual grant that covers our modest overhead, 100% of all class proceeds and designated donations go to the work in Rwanda.
World Dance for Humanity also helps out in our local community:
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Bringing music and dance to wheelchair-bound seniors
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Teaching dance to developmentally disabled adults
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Offering free classes to people low-income families
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Tutoring children each weekday at the Westside Boys & Girls Club
Our work is innovative and impactful, both in the approach to community-building here at home, and to humanitarian aid halfway around the world.
See photos of our work in Rwanda and our local activities
Meet the Communities we serve
Meet our Rwanda Team