Global Grassroots’ Model

Global Grassroots’ Model

How do we do this? Global Grassroots’s model for women-led water enterprises has involved a two-year program that includes a unique blend of training, high-engagement support, and seed funding. Our training includes mind-body trauma healing for those impacted by chronic stress, violence, or other traumatic experiences, to support wellbeing, confidence and agency, and to increase the capacity for planning beyond day-to-day survival. It incorporates mindfulness-based leadership and a mindful design process, which involves examining change from the insight out. Personal transformation from one’s own process of self-growth builds human understanding and compassion for creating systems change among others. Our program also serves as an incubator, using social entrepreneurship skills to help teams of women design every aspect of a non-profit organization that will construct and operate a community water enterprise. When problems arise, rather than solving for the women, staff leverage their own mindful leadership skills to facilitate discussion. This includes honoring women’s wisdom and leadership instincts and using “inquiry without imposition” to help teams generate solutions of their own. When a situation persists, staff may provide additional training, co-facilitate problem-solving sessions, or support team leaders as they work with key stakeholders.  We then fund 100% of the start-up costs (usually $8,000 - $15,000) with a grant, so that ventures do not have to be saddled with debt repayment.  The water infrastructure usually involves extending a pipeline of water to a water access point in the middle of a village, which will sell water at or below market rates (some have even reduced per liter prices by 90%). The water sales revenue covers all operating expenses, maintenance and future repairs. The venture is operated by the women’s team as a non-profit organization, and incorporates other related trainings, services, and advocacy programs, funded by profits above municipal water supply rates. In addition to delivering clean drinking water to an average 3000 people, each non-profit solution radically improves community health, women’s safety and gender relations; eliminates violence and exploitation associated with collection; ensures girls attend school on time; fosters women’s leadership and economic opportunities; and generates an ongoing source of revenue for the women to reinvest in their community - all at an average cost of just $8 per beneficiary. Water ventures continue to serve as sustainable, social innovation hubs for women's rights. Our experience has shown that one successful experience as a change agent is quickly followed by expansion and/or an iterative problem-solving process where women take on other challenges facing women in their communities.  Women not only will have more courage, but they will also have greater access to resources to do so.  In every case, ventures become catalysts for women’s empowerment, community health, education, economic opportunity, and children's wellbeing. 

The Academy, involves 4 phases over 24 months. Read more here (link)

CASE STUDY: Read more about Hard Workers, a success story of women-led water infrastructure (link). 

Impact: Between 2008 and 2021, 26 Global Grassroots women’s water ventures have reached more than 82,000 individuals in underserved communities in Rwanda and Uganda. Among those ventures, 96% are still operational.  According to assessments of teams’ data, (Read more about our measurement techniques here LINK), the average water venture will produce the following impacts after one year of operation:  

● 3000 individuals have access to fresh clean water  

● 50% decrease in distance to water source (from 2.1km to 1.0km)  

● 86% decrease in cost of 1 jerry can (in Rwanda)  

● 94% of households boil water for drinking  

● 95% wash hands before eating  

● 96% have soap in the household  

● 30% fewer parents report children getting sick once per month or more  

● 5x increase in men fetching water for their household  

● 50% fewer households report daughters missing school due to water collection  

● Consistently reported decrease in sexual violence related to water collection  

Can summarize impact in a visual diagram from the latest Water One Sheet or Infographic or Stockholm PPT once updated.