Roots of Development

Roots of Development is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been promoting and implementing successful community-driven development projects in rural Haiti for over a decade. 

Roots of Development's vision is for a world in which the very communities living in poverty are the ones leading the fight against it; a world in which impoverished communities decide their own future and manage their own development.

For ten years, Roots of Development has focused its efforts almost exclusively on the island of La Gonâve, Haiti. La Gonâve is Haiti’s largest island. In fact, it is also the largest of Hispaniola’s satellite islands. It is located to the northwest of Port-au-Prince and is home to approximately 100,000 residents, which is a larger population than the majority of the territories and nations that make up the Caribbean. 

The island faces huge challenges, a major lack of infrastructure, a weak private sector, and very little attention from the national government, but it also has huge potential. 

 It is a beautiful island, located in a strategic location, with picturesque coasts and acres of farmland. It has a large population, which represents a large, untapped market for goods and services, and it faces very few security concerns. The island is also home to a group of strong local elected officials and an active civil society. 

It is by working closely with these leaders that we have been able to have the significant impact we have had on the island thus far: 

• 11,700 residents with improved access to water
• 135 active members of local community associations
• 75,000+ residents served by these associations
• 306+ hours of organizational management and business skill development trainings
• 21 new, permanent homes built for families in need
• 3 large scale community water facilities (maintained by the community since 2008)
• A two-story community development space powered with solar energy
• 2 public toilet facilities 
• Numerous community business initiatives and over a dozen solar-powered street lamps installed around the island

Please support our hard work by donating to one of our projects today! The majority of our funding comes from individual donors like you.