Signpost International

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Signpost’s story 

Signpost International was set up in 1992 when a Church Army Officer, Kerry Dixon, saw first-hand poverty in the Philippines. Seeing children die simply because they didn’t have the same life chances that those in the West have, made him realise that something had to be done. 

This saw the creation of Signpost International with the vision for an equitable world where poverty and injustice are eliminated, people thrive and communities flourish. 

The early years of Signpost saw the charity based in St Ives in England with a Scottish branch opening in 1999. In 2003 the decision was taken for Signpost to move north of the border and to set up a new base in Dundee.  

Signpost International began with a focus on children and saw the creation of child sponsorship programmes. This brought a real focus on the plight of individual children, their families, and their communities.   

In 2016 Signpost International decided that the title of child sponsorship no longer accurately described what they did, as it was the community and everyone in it who benefited from the giving of supporters.  

This led to the decision to wind down child sponsorship programmes with the first one ending in 2018 and the last one ending in 2021. Signpost’s programmes now focus on whole communities. Through local partnerships Signpost helps to empower people to make the most of the resources they already have to address their current challenges and to achieve their full potential within transformed and resilient communities.  

In Signpost’s 30 years they have worked throughout the world, walking alongside disadvantaged communities to see a world free from poverty and its effects supporting them to be drivers of their own change. 

Signpost has worked in: Brazil, Rwanda, Burundi, India, Pakistan, Burma, Russia, The Philippines, Uganda, Tanzania, and in the UK.  

Signpost focuses their work on 4 areas which all harness the power of education to enable people to reach their potential and build a better future.

- WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) 

- Sustainable Livelihoods 

- Hunger & Nutrition

- Global Citizenship  

At Signpost International we recognise that poverty is a global phenomenon and also exists right here on our doorstep in the UK, in addition to overseas. Over the last number of years we have been exploring ways to increase our local presence to ensure our work can have a positive value on our local community as well as our global neighbours. This has resulted in the creation of the Roundhouse.  

Website -  https://www.signpost-international.org/