The Echo Group was established in 1999 by a team of international development specialists with decades of experience in designing and managing international projects for major universities. They were brought together by a common belief that a more flexible, effective, and cost-efficient process of developing and instituting international projects was possible.  The Group's broad focus areas include designing, implementing and evaluating projects targeting education, business development and entrepreneurship, and rural development.

The Group is a majority women-owned small business headquartered in Portland, Oregon, far from high rent districts of Washington, DC. Representative offices in Kyiv, Ukraine and Okahandja, Namibia allow us to keep abreast of assistance needs in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Africa. To keep overhead low, we employ only a minimum of full-time administrative staff.  Our large pool of associates are recruited only for specific projects which utilize their expertise.  Thus, we are able to quickly field tailored assistance effectively and efficiently.  Our mission is to enhance the capacity of host country institutions and individuals to contribute to economic development and raise the quality of life within their countries. Our approach ensures the achievement of both immediate impact and long-term sustainability. We use specific-discipline expertise for immediate results, while working to train our international partners to assume increasing responsibility for ongoing success. Host-country specialists and a broad spectrum of stakeholders are involved in every stage of project development and implementation. We have proven that our methods lead to greater commitment by project partners, helping ensure continuity long after completion of project activities.

While implementing projects throughout the world, Associates of The Echo Group recognize extreme needs of "at risk populations". A desire to continue to help long after an official project ends led to the creation of the International Development and Education Advancement Foundation (the IDEA Foundation), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization also located in Portland. To learn more about IDEA go to www.fidea.org.