Our History
What started as an organic, unplanned relationship with a single community in Haiti, has turned into a formal 501 (c)(3) non-profit based in Washington, DC that has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars and a new philosophy for development to numerous communities on the, too often ignored, island of La Gonave, Haiti.
How it all began…
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 feeing 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.
Since our initial incorporation just a little over four years ago, we have mobilized thousands of grassroots supporters throughout the United States, and raised more than a quarter of a million dollars almost entirely from private individuals. And you better believe we are committed to doing a whole lot more. We hope you’ll join us.
