SMHA's Mission

Southern Mutual Help Association, Inc.'s mission is to build healthy prosperous rural communities in Louisiana. Our special focus is with distressed rural communities whose livelihoods are interdependent with our land and waters. We work primarily with agricultural and pervasively poor communities, women and people of color. We help build rural communities through people's growth in their own empowerment and the just management of resources. In keeping with its mission, Southern Mutual is playing a key role in the recovery and long-term development of hurricane-ravaged areas of South Louisiana ravaged through its Rural Recovery Response.

Southern Mutual Help Association was founded in 1969 to be an agent of change. SMHA was born out of the distressed and oppressive conditions found in the Louisiana cane fields. As a matter of justice, the pervasive conditions on the plantations had to be changed.

SMHA emerged as a solution to the challenges and public tensions that underlined the War on Poverty. We confronted the failures of policies that did not change people's lives, because they were based on service, and not on systemic change.

SMHA's foundation was — and still is — our strong convictions and a passion for justice.

SMHA grew out of strong female leadership. We have persistently challenged barriers to women leaders in every arena of our work. We understand that women are bedrock to the life and health of communities. To engage women as leaders is to move a community.

Trillions of dollars have been spent fighting poverty in America, and yet poverty has grown, and the gap between the rich and poor has widened. Rural communities are increasingly marginalized. Our natural resources suffer from consistent overuse and abuse, and their rightful stewards remain outside decision-making processes.

Since 1969, Southern Mutual Help has been pioneering new approaches to the seemingly intractable challenges facing rural communities. We have taken a strong stand against the root causes of poverty: racism, sexism and classism. We have evolved from our beginnings in advocacy, documentation and confrontation to implement bold new strategies that forge ties across all segments of our communities. Through changing times, innovation and vision have remained at our core.


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