About Us
Grassroots Economics is a non-profit foundation that seeks to partner with communities to take charge of their own livelihoods and economic future. We focus on community development through Economic Commons and are dedicated to helping communities realize and share their abundance. While core beneficiaries of our programs include small businesses and people living in informal settlements as well as rural areas, the documentation and tools have been broadly applied worldwide. Read our charter.
Our goal is to improve the lives of those who are most vulnerable.
Our work builds on a rich history of indigenous practices and community programs. We have implemented Community Asset Voucher and Community Inclusion Currency programs in over 45 locations across Kenya and assisted with 2 in South Africa and helped more than 60,000 small businesses, churches and schools take an active role in their own economy and development. We are currently supporting and developing programs and technologies worldwide.
HISTORY
2010
ECO_PESA
This program was launched as a backed currency model with 75 Businesses taking part in three informal settlements near Kongowea, Mombasa. The currency was backed by donor funds and accomplished some amazing community service and environmental goals in partnership with Green World Campaign while increasing local trade for a year period.
On average profits increased in 20%
20 tonnes of trash collected 1000's of trees were planted
2012 and 2013
BANGLA-PESA
Bangladesh is an informal settlement of approximatly 20 000 inhabitants located outside Mombasa Kenya. This was the first place where a program that was not fully dependent on donor funds was launched. After having had a dramatic start, with people being arrested under charges of forgery, this project currently holds 87,200 (ksh equivalent) vouchers in circulation and a network of 218 businesses.
2014
GATINA_PESA
Gatina-Pesa in Kawangware Nairobi, was the first to launch and first to replicate the Bangla-Pesa model
With an amazing march through the slum, starting from Congo and ending at Gatina Primary School,the entire community mobilized around their own voucher. Hon. Simba Arati, the area Minister of Parliament, officially cut the ribbon and launched the program. Currently the network is made up of 258 businesses and a strong wholesale shop that backs the system.
2015
3 MORE COMMUNITY VOUCHERS JOINED THE NETWORK !
Kangemi-Pesa
Lindi-Pesa
Ng'ombeni-Pesa
2016
SARAFU-CREDIT
All of the 5 networks joined under a common umbrella called Sarafu-Credit. This allows members to exchange excess vouchers for Kenyan Shillings.
Some other exciting things happened this year:
- 5 supermarket that act as collateral and network hubs were created
- We began testing on platforms to go digital
- The initial stages to develop 2 country-wide cooperates (SACCOs) began
90% of users are very satisfied with Sarafu Credit and want to keep using it
2017
OUR FIRST RURAL PROGRAM
This year we setup our first rural program in Miyani in partnership with Green World Campaign and we have also pulled all our best practices together into a Certificate Course to be able to help the movement spread faster!
2018
SARAFU-NETWORK
Grassroots Economics Foundation helps communities and design, deploy, utilize and maintain Community Asset Vouchers, which are customizable tokenized claims against redemption. We also support communities to connect CAVs and CICs into decentralized economies and share certified data for markets and impacts. Read More
2020
RED CROSS ADOPTION
Mukuru Kayaba and Kisauni Mombasa were the first sites that the Red Cross begain to pilot and introduce Community Inclusion CUrrencies via Community Asset Vouchers implemented in partnership with Grassroots Economics Foundation
The number of registered users grew to over 50,000 and helped support communities facing economic downturns due to covid.
2024
COMMITMENT-POOLING
Learning cyber-social protocols based on indigenous rotational labor practices that enable exchange between Community Asset Vouchers (as formalized commitments) - Sarafu.network becomes a polycentric eco-system of pools and commitments using Celo Blockchain. Read More
Mohammed Sohail
Lead Software Engineer
Will Ruddick
Founder
Damaris Njoroge
Programs Director
Sylvia Karanja
Grassroots Economist
Amina Godana
Grassroots Economist
Janet Otieno
Grassroots Economist
Louis Holbrook
Lead Software Architect
Philip Wafula
Senior Software Engineer
William (Lum) Luke
Senior Software Engineer
Joyce Kamauk
Grassroots Economist
Emmanuel Mbui
Grassroots Economist
Fransisca (Mami) Achieng
Grassroots Economist
Our current partners include:
OneProject, Mustardseed Trust, Kenya Red Cross, iNethi, Schumacher Center for New Economics, Celo Foudnation
A special thanks to:
Bernard Lietaer, Tim Jenkins, Leila Kidson, Cara Eyre, Thibaud Dezyn, Jimmy Heyns, Henk Van Arkel, Elvis Ogweno, Annette Loudon, Chris Lindstrom, Christina Bordes, Elizabeth Weiland, Gilfrid Powys, Loucéro Mariani, Jim and Ellen Wagner, The Ruddick Family, The Kowa Family, Dawn Richards, Edmond Oklahoma United Methodist Women, Dr. Margrit Kennedy, Prof. Declan Kennedy, Dr. Jeremy Bendell, Xenia Heinze, Association TAOA, Jamie Brown, Kevin Cox, Sergio Lub, Hayem Etienne, Edgar Kampers, DELAMARE, David Hall, MULLER, Marie-Hélène, Barbara Schiess, Eva Vander Giessen, Joseph Leonardi, Susan Steed, Guido Hosman, Gabriel Grimsditch, Tobias Fields, Nemo Curiel, Hugo Godschalk, Guido Hosman, Lorne Covington, Bob and Margaret Macemon, Sergio Lub, Mark and Julie Richards, Carla Lundberg, PINTO Romain, Scott Williams, Aaron Vaillancourt, Leander Bindewald, Brent Ranalli, Eric Harris-Braun, Martin Kreidenweis, Georg Pluta, Arthur Brock, Daniel Quay, Guy Staniforth, Thomas Greco, Xochitl Cazador, Tomaž Fleischman, Matthew Slater, Adam Bornstein, Gustav Stromfelt, Holger Hoffmann-Riem, Alison Malisa, Reba Chabeda, Counsel Reza Zain Jaufeerally, Carmen Mauk, Professor Jem Bendell, Robert Mutsaers, Ahmed Maawy, Dr. David Johnson, Mwalimu Musheshe, Alida Bakema, Luca Fantacci, Leanne Ussher, Aude Peronne
