The Grassroots Economics non-profit foundation seeks to empower marginalized communities to take charge of their own livelihoods and economic futures. Grassroots Economics focuses on community development through economic empowerment via community currency programs. Millions of people in low-income communities have goods and services to trade, but they lack accessible cash or credit. These business owners need a way to exchange goods and services without relying on scarce national currencies or high interest credit lines. Introducing a Community Currency, a zero interest private credit backed by networks of vendors, farmers, craftspeople, and schools, enables and promotes local trade by formalizing extra-legal debt structures and assets of low-income communities into a private credit system.
Caroline Dama develops large-scale environmental and social development programs and is a strong believer in women’s empowerment. Her organization Grassroots Economics seeks to empower low-income businesses and schools to issue a localized credit in Kenya.