About Us

We believe that when it comes to a community realizing its dreams, anything is possible. For many communities around the world, however, it is a lot more difficult to realize those dreams because they lack access to many basic resources that would otherwise help them reach their goals. The communities we work with have many dreams. They also have the drive and determination to realize them. What they often lack is the opportunity to access, organize, and manage resources that can help them build a strong foundation for growth. By helping communities gain these experiences and access these resources, Roots helps them realize their dreams.

For us, Development must be…

1. COMMUNITY-DRIVEN (bottom-up instead of top-down).

This pertains to the way projects are chosen and then carried out, as well as the way projects are funded.

a. Decision-making. Roots of Development encourages the community itself to identify its greatest need rather than imposing that choice on them. Through a collective decision-making model involving diverse representatives of the community (men, women, old, young, secular, and non-secular), the community identifies and prioritizes their most basic needs. Once a single initiative is decided upon, they then move forward collectively to tackle all of the project’s objectives. In this way, the people most affected by the decisions being made are the ones making them, thus embedding true ownership as the project evolves.

b. Funding. The level of priority a project is given, or the way a project is carried out should not depend on the amount of money the supporting organization or institution is willing to allocate to it. Instead, the amount of money allocated to the project should depend on the amount necessary to complete the desired project, in its entirety and in a way that it is most effective.

Community-driven development is an essential approach to improving the situation in Haiti and other impoverished countries. It is about empowerment and genuine ownership over one’s own development. Many NGOs claim to promote it, but in reality, few support it to the level at which it is becomes truly effective. In an effort to make the work we support more sustainable, we make sure that every project is selected and prioritized by the community, staffed by Haitians whenever possible, and coordinated with local government officials.

2. An emphasis on the PROCESS over the final product.

Simply completing a community health or water project (what we refer to as a “final product”) can improve the standard of living for many, but it doesn’t make the achievement sustainable. We work with communities through the entirety of the project as they learn what it takes to identify resources, manage resources, resolve conflict, and effectively outline their objectives. These learning opportunities are part of “the process”. Once the steps become familiar to a community, it is then able to repeat the process and tackle other important initiatives without our assistance. Not only do these communities get the opportunity to learn what it takes to manage their own development, but they are then able to use their knowledge and experience to support neighboring communities.

To best respect and have the greatest impact on the communities we work with, we provide resources in a way that supports a sustainable process, instead of an unsustainable series of final products.

An emphasis on the PROCESS will improve the results of development, because it…

1. Increases the level of sustainability
2. Decreases the potential degree of dependency
3. Increases the chances of replicability
4. Reduces corruption by increasing transparency & accountability
5. Leads to better allocation of resources.

For greater insight into how you can promote and/or implement strong community-driven development, visit our Recipe For Development page.

SECTIONS of the Recipe for Development:
I. Definition of sustainable development
II. The overall goal
III. Ingredients for sustainable development and sustainable community-driven development
IV. Indicators of success
V. Cultural concepts to be aware of
VI. Step-by-step instructions on building strong, independent communities

I. To benefit everyone involved, development should always be carried out in a sustainable manner with the goal of only producing sustainable results. Our DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT is “efforts that meet the needs of the present while simultaneously increasing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

If the development efforts you are supporting only help a population meet its immediate needs and don’t help provide the population with an opportunity to address those needs again in the future on its own, it is actually relief work or simply charity, not development.

II. THE OVERALL GOAL should be for your support to eventually no longer be needed. To do this, you want to focus on helping the communities you support become more independent, both organizationally and financially.

This can be achieved by emphasizing three areas:

1. Helping the community build needed sustainable infrastructure (clean water facilities, public latrines, community meeting space, etc.)
2. Helping the community establish community-run businesses that create jobs and become sources of revenue
3. And, MOST IMPORTANTLY, helping the community build its organizational capacity and skill sets (strategic planning, business management, conflict resolution, bookkeeping, monitoring and evaluation, etc.)

III. INGREDIENTS needed for sustainable development:

1. THE ROOT ISSUE. Identify and address the root issue of a problem, instead of secondary issues that are only results of an even deeper problem (the root issue).
2. AN UNDERSTANDING OF EXISTING SYSTEMS. Recognize and respect already-established systems.
3. INDEPENDENCE. Only support projects or activities that provide a group with greater independence. Avoid projects that will only continue to exist if there is a continuous flow of resources from you or your organization.
4. LOCAL RESOURCES. Identify and value local resources, because using them ensures greater sustainability and therefore greater success.
5. OWNERSHIP. Maximize the ownership a community has over every aspect of a project.

[ADDITIONAL] INGREDIENTS needed for sustainable community-driven development:

1. DIVERSE LEADERSHIP. Diversify leadership to include as many different stakeholders from the community as possible.
2. A GROUP DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. Establish a group decision-making process in which the majority rules.
3. A POLICY OF INCLUSION. Promote a policy of inclusion to prevent individuals from feeling like they are excluded from getting involved.
4. TRANSPARENCY. Emphasize the importance of maintaining a transparent environment throughout the collaborative process so that trust between community members doesn’t deteriorate.
5. A STRONG ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE. Take the time to help the community build a strong organizational structure.
6. A WELL-UNDERSTOOD ROLE. Understand your role, and limit it to the parameters that come with that role. Make sure the role is a supportive one, not a managing role.

IV. INDICATORS that will help measure the growth and level of independence a community has attained:

1. An increased level of trust between group members, as well as between the groups and the residents they serve.
2. Improved communication within the community group itself, as well as between them and the communities they serve and other “development actors” (NGOs, etc.) in the area.
3. A sharing of leadership so that one individual is not valued more than another and so that the various different stakeholders all have a role in the decision-making process.
4. A strong and transparent bookkeeping (financial) system that includes comprehensive budgets, financial reports, and evaluations.
5. An increase in the amount of solutions being offered to resolve a problem, or accomplish a goal.

V. CULTURAL COMPLEXITIES to be aware of when working in development:

1. Minimizing Risk vs. Maximizing Profit: The clash of two cultures
2. Underestimating the importance of good communication and transparency
3. A fight for resources (consequences of having to be on survival mode)
4. Accepting foreign ideas too quickly. Impoverished populations can sometimes give greater value to foreign ideas and resources simply because they are foreign, which can be counter productive because of the cultural understanding they lack.
5. Commit to clearly defined roles and do not overstep, otherwise it can quickly cause confusion, subversion, and a break down of the system.
6. As a foreigner, do not have in-country meetings with potential partners on your own (even if it is more efficient). Bring members of the community you are working with to these meetings in order to ensure equal value is given to all parties involved. (Helps legitimize the community that unfortunately sometimes lacks legitimacy in the potential partner’s eyes).
7. Pace of work (or “progress”) will vary
8. Understand the consequences of individuals (from the community) being asked to do new things; with new resources; on a larger scale; with new expectations

VI. STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS on building strong, independent communities:

PHASE I: Establishing the relationship

Step 1. Get acquainted with the community with whom you may partner.

1. Be aware of the relationship between the community/group and the person/group who introduces you to them. Observe which type/s of residents you are introduced to, and more importantly, which types you are not introduced to (not included in the introduction).
2. If possible, allow time for the community/group to better know who you are and why you want to help. Build trust, as trust, honesty, and familiarity are key components to a successful relationship moving forward. Conversations, sometimes tough, are easier when each party is comfortable with each other.
3. Take the opportunity to listen to residents, find out who the local leaders are and why they are the leaders and how they function.
4. Observe what systems/structures are already in place (they may not seem terribly efficient or effective to you but it is important to recognize they are there as well as how and why they function.

Step 2: Through the local leadership, ask for a community meeting with as many diverse representatives of the community as possible. Discuss the greatest challenges of the community, listen to their goals for development, and help them begin the project selection process.

1. Share the factors that are important to you when selecting a project:
   • It will benefit as many people in the community as possible (as many diverse “stakeholders” in the community as possible).
   • It will not lead to a relationship in which they will become too dependent on us.
   • It will be part of the greater development plan (help get closer to the overall goal).
   • It was agreed upon by the majority of the group.
2. Begin working with the community to understand the project in the context of a larger plan for development.
3. Identify each “actor” (real and potential) that will have a role in the life of the project (including the process), and the responsibilities each will hold.
4. Work with them to recognize what resources they already have around them that may help them accomplish their goals.

PHASE II: The creation of a community development group

The creation of a community development group should happen somewhat organically. The idea of forming such a group (as a natural next step) should come from the community. The first residents to become volunteer members of the community development group will likely be individuals already in positions of leadership, and other highly driven members of the community. It will likely be necessary to re-iterate the importance of having, and maintaining, diverse representatives of the community in the group. This means the inclusion of males, females, young, old, individuals with different levels of education and different types of employment experience, church-goers, non-church-goers, etc.

Step 1. Begin helping them establish a strong inner organizational structure. Dedicate a significant amount of time to activities and discussions that build the group’s capacity and help them acquire the skills that will lead to greater independence.

Make it a goal to find and connect the group with in-country* trainers that can carry out the following types of workshops with the group:

1. Strategic Planning
2. Leadership
3. Soliciting and Building Partnerships
4. Project Management
5. Small Business/Entrepreneurship (also see “PHASE IV”)

 

Communities know what they want to achieve but often have a hard time figuring out how to identify and then organize the steps that it will take to achieve it. Strategic planning workshops will help them learn this skill. Leadership workshops will help them improve how they work with each other as well as with the rest of the population. Strong leadership skills are extremely important to community development groups because most of their programming relies on large amounts of community volunteers. It is important that they know how to effectively mobilize residents, and then lead them productively. To become independent, a community development group must become familiar with what it takes to manage projects from start to finish and to find the support necessary to complete their project goals. Both project management workshops and trainings in soliciting and building partnerships will help a community development group gain greater capacity and, in turn, achieve greater independence.

*It is okay to have experienced foreign trainers carry out the workshops, but in-country trainers are preferred because of the cultural awareness they possess.

PHASE III: Absorbing the inclusion of member groups (the transformation into an association) [Coming Soon]

PHASE IV: Basic needs programming and community business initiatives

In order to equip the community development group with the tools it needs to independently manage and maintain its own development, it is important to focus on three key areas: Capacity-building (see PHASE II), Basic Needs Programming, and Community Business Initiatives.

Step 1. Support projects that address the most basic needs of a community.

Communities in the developing world lack many of the basic services necessary for residents to live fair and productive lives. Community development does not take hold easily when the majority of residents are sick, hungry, and without an appropriate roof over their head. Capacity-building will increase the capabilities of a community, but it won’t directly provide a community with food or homes, or access to basic health care or adequate education. Make sure, however, that the basic needs programming you support will benefit as many people in the community as possible; will not lead to dependency; will help the community get closer to their overall goal; and was agreed upon by the majority of the community (or group). Originally outlined in Step 2 of PHASE I.

Step 2. Invest in projects that involve the creation of community businesses.

While it is important to support projects that address basic needs, these projects will not improve, at least not directly, the economic situation in the area. The profits of these businesses do not benefit a single resident or group of residents, instead they benefit the community as a whole. Establishing businesses in the community will not only support the local economy by creating jobs and increasing local spending, but also significantly increase the independence of the community development group by providing it with a source of funding to maintain past projects and fund new ones.

PHASE V: Replicating the process elsewhere [Coming Soon]

In May 2005, Chad Bissonnette, Roots of Development’s Co-Founder and Executive Director, took his first trip to Haiti. He went down with no other objective than to be introduced to another country. He was still an undergraduate student at American University in Washington, DC, and had no intention of starting a non-profit. To him, Haiti was another interesting country in the world that could open his eyes, and teach him a bit more about the value of life.

The community he was introduced to was Gran Sous, on the island of La Gonave. It was very poor and lacked the most basic resources including electricity, roads, decent housing, standard educational opportunities, and access to health care—all these issues just an hour and a half from Miami. The residents of the community were aware of what they lacked and expressed to Chad a deep desire to change the situation. While Chad was frustrated by the situation, he was not there for any other purpose than to get to know another place, another group of people in the world. He eventually left, not expecting to return.

In July 2006, however, with the strange feeling that there was something else for him to do there and a desire to learn more about Haiti, Chad returned to Gran Sous. When he returned, he found the community in the same situation they had been in a year earlier. It caused him to begin thinking about the consequences of potentially connecting resources back home to the community there in Haiti. He proposed his idea to a small group of community leaders, who appreciated his idea and called for a community meeting. With a diverse representation of the community present, residents began thinking of a single project that could have an impact on the majority of the community, and whose maintenance would not depend too much on Chad and his resources.

Many ideas were shared but it was the thought of cleaning up the municipal water source that got the most attention, and became the goal of Chad’s fundraising efforts.

In January 2007, Chad wrote a letter to as many friends and family as he could think of to tell them of the relationship he had formed with Gran Sous, and their decision to address their water issues. Appreciating the manner in which the relationship began between Chad and the community, and the feeling that a real impact would be made motivated friends and family to start sending contributions of all different sizes.

In June 2007, after raising more money than expected and a third trip to Haiti, Chad began thinking about the idea of actually packing up and moving down to Gran Sous to be with the community as it walked through the water project.

In September 2007, without a job, without knowing a word of the language, or what would be expected of him and how long it would last, Chad packed up and moved to Gran Sous. He spent the first three months learning Creole, adapting to the extremely basic living conditions, and focusing most of his energy on building trust and confidence between he and the community.

Just before he left, a friend of Chad’s from college, Lindsey Walker, convinced him to think more seriously about forming a non-profit to support his fundraising efforts. She offered to help with the necessary paperwork and the incorporation of the non-profit while Chad was in Haiti.

In November 2007, Gran Sous Cooperative (Roots’ original name) was officially incorporated as a non-profit in the State of Georgia. This took place in Georgia because Lindsey was living there at that time and Chad did not have an address in the U.S.

From September 2007 to August 2008, Chad lived in Haiti working with the community of Gran Sous to acquire potable water. Months were spent collecting data, surveying the area, designing a plan, collecting materials, and preparing the site. In total, 250-feet of iron piping and an 18,000-liter tank for treatment were built with the help of three Ecuadorian engineers. It was a huge community effort.

In June 2008, Chad and Lindsey decided on a change of name for the organization. Gran Sous Cooperative became Roots of Development. The official name change is filed with the State of Georgia.

With the excitement over the successful completion of the water project in August 2008, both the residents of Gran Sous and the donors back in the U.S. began asking what’s next?! Four other communities had begun asking to get involved, so the community and Chad sat down together, just before he left for the States, to discuss their priorities.

When Chad moved back to the U.S., he found himself faced with a non-profit on paper but no real structure. His first decision was to identify a group of 8-9 people with diverse backgrounds to create an advisory board (now called the “Task Force”) that could help him get Roots to a level in which it could meet the new demands of the communities in Haiti.

In October 2008, Roots was recognized by the IRS as a public charity and obtains 501(c)(3) status, making donations to the organization tax-deductible.

A year later, in October 2009, the decision was made to “move” Roots to Washington, DC. With Lindsey moving out of Georgia, and Chad’s return to DC, Roots of Development was incorporated in the District and the Georgia entity begins to go through the process of dissolution.

In December 2009, Roots of Development (Washington, DC) obtains 501(c)(3) status with the IRS.