A community-led process of development where populations traditionally perceived as mere beneficiaries of projects take charge of their development by actively engaging in problem conceptualization, designing and implementing interventions, and in tracking change. For this bottom-up model to thrive, an intentional effort to promote the voice, personal and collective agency of these community champions and create non tokenism space is required. GROOTS Kenya is established as a movement of grassroots women CBOs/groups who are the lead implementors and drivers of change, hence, this model is central to GROOTS Kenya identity. The model works to challenge institutions and structures that disempower the leadership and role of grassroots communities as agents of change including institutions that act as bridge between grassroots communities and their duty bearers. Often, organizational staff tend to unconsciously to take up that space + role and hence GROOTS Kenya avoids to have staff stationed in specific project sites. We believe this model is not foreign or inconsistent with UN Women approaches since the Beijing +25 calls for genuine investment in grassroots feminist movements and local action. It's also a Human Rights Based Approach prompted by the UN in general.
