Stories & Insights

This blog was written by Alex Cleveland, who has been working as a Root Change fellow for the last 8 months, supporting with data analysis, content design, and special research projects. She is a recent graduate of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) where she earned a Master’s in International Environmental Policy

In September 2022, the Vaccinate ALL 58 Campaign under the new Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Partnerships brought together over 200 Community-based Organizations (CBOs) representatives to reflect on the last two years of community outreach during the pandemic. As one group concluded, “Community is our most powerful tool in bringing us together.” This report

This landscape review was developed for MOMENTUM, a major USAID-supported health sector program, but is of interest to all capacity development practitioners. The review describes different levels and types of capacity that can be measured; clarifies the distinction between capacity and performance; identifies key capacity measurement tool types; and, assesses the suitability of different tool

Hace casi dos años, anunciamos el lanzamiento de la Iniciativa de Independencia Comunitaria (IIC) y el inicio de proyectos piloto en México, Colombia y Filipinas en colaboración con Children International. Los proyectos piloto fueron un esfuerzo para identificar nuevos enfoques para mejorar el bienestar de los niños, y para aprender sobre los beneficios de la

Root Change partnered with Children International in early 2020 to identify new approaches for improving the well-being of children, and to learn about the potential benefits of the Community Independence Initiative (CII). This report describes the key findings from three Children International agencies piloting the Community Independence Initiative between June 2020 and July 2021. Children

Almost two years ago, we announced the launch of the Community Independence Initiative (CII) and the start of pilots in Mexico, Colombia, and the Philippines in partnership with Children International. The pilots were an effort to identify new approaches for improving the well-being of children, and to learn about the benefits of CII for families,

This blog is a follow-on to our post Ushirika Hub: How Three Organizations Came Together to Conduct Participatory SSNA of the Cooperative Ecosystem in 6 Counties in Kenya. It was written by Tindi Sitati, Collaboration Learning and Adaptation (CLA) Officer for Global Communities, with contributions from: Rachel Dickinson (Root Change), Pamela Kaburu (Global Communities), Lydia

Root Change partnered with the CDP Partners to conduct a Social System Network Analysis (SSNA) baseline of the cooperative ecosystem in six counties in Kenya from September 2019 to February 2020. This final report is the culmination of the analysis, findings, and recommendations.

As an INGO whose staff works to design, implement, and iterate programs, projects, and initiatives around the world, by most accounts Root Change is a practitioner. But sometimes we dip our toes into the academic side of the international development field. This is evident in our mission to “question assumptions” and “think deeply” but tends

Over the past two years, Root Change, Youth and Society (YAS), and Keystone Accountability have supported district level social labs in Mulanje and Rumphi, Malawi as part of the USAID Local Works program. As USAID-funded support for the social labs came to an end, we worked with the labs to craft a Constituent Report to

Over the past two years, Root Change, Youth and Society (YAS), and Keystone Accountability have supported district level social labs in Mulanje and Rumphi, Malawi as part of the USAID Local Works program. As USAID-funded support for the social labs came to an end, we worked with the labs to craft a Constituent Report to showcase their

Strengthening Advocacy and Civic Engagement (SACE) project was a five-year program funded by USAID and Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) that was co-implemented by Root Change and Chemonics (prime). This brochure offers an overview of SACE project, its tools and approaches built on the principles of collective impact and Capacity 2.0, the innovations

The Disasters and Emergency Preparedness Programme (DEPP) was launched in 2014 by DFID to strengthen skills and capacity of response organizations, and improve the quality and speed of humanitarian response in countries that are at risk of natural disasters or emergencies. From 2015 to 2018, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiave (HHI), with support from Root Change,

This report discusses findings from the survey of capacity development efforts in Indonesia. In this survey, Root Change aimed to discover what capacity-building and leadership development interventions in Asia can produce the capacity required to achieve desired sustainable resource management and conservation outcomes. Root Change collaborated with local researchers to conduct fieldwork with community members

This report discusses findings from the survey of capacity development efforts in China. Sponsored by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, Root Change worked with a local partner, the Capacity Building and Assessment Center (CBAC), a Chinese NGO with a network of organizational partners. Root Change conducted interviews to identify appropriate capacity development initiatives for

Root Change, in partnership with ISC Serbia and funded by USAID, led the Civil Society Forward (CSF) program to enhance the effectiveness of Serbian civil society by introducing and testing new approaches to coalition building and network strengthening. Root Change launched STARNET Serbia, an online platform that maps and visualizes professional relationships among civil society

This report details the methods used and findings from a systems analysis Root Change conducted as part of the USAID Learning Agenda on Local Organization Capacity Development. Organizational network analysis (ONA) was used to better understand how the local capacity development ecosystem in Nepal and Tanzania impacted capacity development outcomes.

Root Change worked with the International Federation of Red Cross, Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the American Red Cross to study National Society Organizational Development. The study, aimed at identifying which capacity-building investments yield the highest returns, understand how capacity is built at the local level, and determine why capacity strengths and weaknesses exist,  involved

Root Change has used its LINCS (Linking NGOs with Capacity Services) methodology in a number of countries, such as Zambia and Bolivia. LINCS is a unique and proven approach to mapping the needs and capacities of key actors and connecting local demand for capacity-building services with local supply. Root Change finds that building upon the

South-South Learning and Knowledge Exchange (SSKE) South-South Learning and Knowledge Exchange (SSKE) emphasizes collaboration and knowledge sharing among developing countries. The approach is increasingly recognized as vital for improving global development effectiveness and impact. The World Bank Group plays a significant role in promoting and funding SSKE, which it employs to address complex transnational challenges