How do we select our projects?

Through our partnerships with the United States Peace Corps and the Cameroon-based Research Institute for Development (RIDEV), Breaking Ground is able to identify and support innovative and feasible projects in mobilized communities around the country. 1.

1. Identification and Preliminary Evaluations: The Peace Corps' 150+ volunteers serve as our eyes and ears on the ground. When they catch wind of a locally initiated project happening in the surrounding communities, they put their leaders in touch with Breaking Ground and initiate the process of conducting a detailed evaluation of the community's level of mobilization and the project's feasibility.

2. Detailed Evaluations of Community Mobilization and Project Feasibility: Breaking Ground's partner, RIDEV, conducts secondary evaluations to judge whether a community is wholly mobilized behind the project. RIDEV is Cameroon's leading authority on community development and it's all-Cameroonian staff is well respected for their in-depth knowledge of the issues affecting local communities and their specialization in community organizing, making them ideal for the job. We only fund high-impact projects in truly mobilized communities, not ones that benefit a small section of the community or where a small number of powerful individuals are making the decisions.

3. Consultation of Local Experts: If and when RIDEV has judged a community to be truly mobilized, Breaking Ground seeks the consultation of technical experts to assess the feasibility of a project. If the community has proposed a well-digging project, local hydrology experts and engineers are consulted to determine whether their plans are viable and their budget accurate. Similarly, if a community has proposed the construction of a school, engineers and masons are consulted to determine the appropriateness of the building plans and local officials from the Ministry of Education and traditional leaders are consulted to determine if the size of the proposed school meets the needs of the population.

4. Funding and Project Completion: Once a project is approved by local experts, Breaking Ground enlists the support of our donors to fund the project's completion. To date, our completed projects include the construction of schools, a library, and a bridge.