When I first learned of Grassroots International in 1993, the organization already had a steady 10-year track record for advancing human rights and supporting people-first solutions to poverty and injustice.
Over the last 20-plus years that I have been involved with Grassroots, it has been a valued source of my own education on international issues that impact negatively on the world’s most vulnerable populations. It likewise introduced me to effective partners addressing those issues, including the Via Campesina, a powerful international movement serving peasant farmers in far-flung corners of the world. From it I came to understand the concepts of Resource Rights and Food Sovereignty, both of which are now widely discussed and are at the crux of the matter when it comes to human rights and resource sustainability. My new understanding has stimulated me to think strategically with my Grassroots International colleagues regarding ways in which we can move more effectively with our partners.
“The more I engaged with the organization, the more I realized what a unique and powerful model Grassroots uses – placing partnership at the center of the mission to create a more just and sustainable world.”
My wife and I decide which organizations we will contribute to based on criteria, including organizational efficiency, ability to address the root causes of problems, and treatment of people (both donors and those being served) with dignity. In every aspect, Grassroots International has been exemplary and we have deepened our giving – of both time and money – over the years.