Grassroots Development: 40th Anniversary

Summary

In the 2009 issue of the Grassroots Development journal, we look back at the IAF’s 40 years of stories that showcase the creative ideas, hard work and escalating ambitions that explain why the grassroots approach is considered the most effective way of delivering foreign assistance.

Letters from Our Readers

“What Big Development Thinkers Ignore: 40 Years of Getting Ahead Collectively”

Here we consider the role of collective action in international development, which has often brought a measure of social justice and economic development where markets and government have failed. While the top-down approach has been the default position for several years, the IAF’s focus has been bottom-up, working with grassroots organizations to support successful cooperatives and communal enterprises.

“Our Man in Bolivia”

In his 30 years as a Foundation representative with the IAF, Kevin Healy’s work has given him a front-row seat as indigenous movements took shape throughout Latin America and wrestled with poverty, discrimination, political exclusion and threats to the culture. This profile highlights the contributions, skills and values he has brought to successful grassroots development in Bolivia.

“Measures to Match the Mission: How the Grassroots Development Framework Came to Be”

At the outset of the IAF’s founding charter in 1969, a major goal was to adequately assess the long-term civic benefits and short-term material ones in grassroots development. In this article, we describe the evolution of the Grassroots Development Framework, a concept that helps recognize these multi-layered impacts and the factors that facilitate or stifle them.

“Cecilia Duque Duque: Crafting an Industry”

This article and Q&A showcase the energy, drive and vision of Cecilia Duque Duque, a traditional arts advocate whose passion for cultivating pride in Colombia’s heritage helped a dying tradition gain new life and enabled thousands of artisans to earn a decent living from it. With IAF funding, she worked to organize artisans and provide technical support that encouraged them share information and create markets.

“Women and Bolivia’s New Constitution”

Through educational workshops and games designed by IAF grantee Centro de Capacitació n Integral de la Mujer Campesina, marginalized Bolivian women in the altiplano and beyond were inspired to engage in articulating their demands and work for their incorporation in the new constitution.

“APAEB: Development in Sertao”

In this engaging photo essay set in the dry interior of Brazil’s poorest region in the nordeste, we see how the work of IAF grantee partner Associação dos Pequenos Agricultores do Município de Valente has turned the one abundant agricultural resource–the sisal plant–into a means to create an industrial conglomerate and a vibrant array of community institutions.

“The Grassroots Post-War: El Salvador”

This article describes the grassroots efforts of representative IAF grantee partners who are working toward ongoing economic development in El Salvador and the elusive goal of reconciliation.

Grantees in the News

Development Notes

Book Review: “Microcrédito-O Mistério Nordestino e o Grameen Brasileiro”

In Memoriam: Ruth Cardoso

The IAF remembers Ruth Cardoso, a distinguished anthropologist, former first lady of Brazil and leader of IAF grantee Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento, who played an important role in shaping Brazilian social policy.