• About Us
• Program
• Plans
• Events
• Get Involved
• Donate
• Slideshow
• Gallery
• Contact

Common River is a catalyst for community change. We expect active participation and in-kind contributions from the community. For every one step into the community, we take two steps back, so that the community takes responsibility for their program, becomes more self-reliant, and empowered by their own development process.

© 2007 Common River
Design by JeremyD
and Green Temple Design

Program

View the Program Summary

Approach

COMMON RIVER addresses integrated community development from the inside out, using the "positive deviance" model that identifies what is working for the few and brings those practices to the majority that struggle. This effective approach applies to all aspects of community: from business development, education, health care, micro-finance, entrepreneurship, and environmental infrastructure. It empowers each community member to fully maximize the available natural resources, turning poverty to prosperity.

Positive Deviance Approach:

In every community, there are individuals whose unique (“deviant”) behaviors create better (“positive”) results than their neighbor with the exact same resources. Common River’s Mission is to amplify these methods for full community success.

Through the positive deviance approach we assist the community to discover those behaviors that are working effectively today among some and share them with the others. It is naturally sustainable and culturally appropriate since the solution lies within the community.

Resource Guide

View the Positive Deviance/Hearth: A Resource Guide for Sustainably Rehabilitating Malnourished Children

Curamericas: Census-Based, Impact-Oriented Methodology: A Resource Guide for Equitable and Effective Primary Health Care

Curamericas has developed and tested a model of health service delivery called the Census-Based, Impact-Oriented (CBIO) approach in Bolivia, Guatemala, Haiti and Mexico over the past 20 years. The CBIO approach is a community-based primary health care model that allows local health care staff to better understand and more effectively treat the most common causes of sickness and death within their communities. Because of its unique approach to measuring community health, the CBIO methodology provides a basis to accurately measure health service outcomes and impacts, including mortality reduction. The CBIO methodology seeks to ensure that: 1) scarce resources and services are appropriately targeted to the most common causes of avoidable illness and death; 2) service outreach and utilization are equitable, reaching those of greatest need within targeted communities; and 3) outcomes and impacts (including changes in mortality) are well measured.

Strategic Partner

COMMON RIVER has chosen ECafe Foundation as its strategic partner in Wondo's coffee industry development. ECafe founded by top world coffee expert, Willem Boot, has extensive experience in Ethiopia and is dedicated to enhancing through education the livelihood of coffee farmers an creating a better business paradigm in the international market. Read ECafe's Newsletter here.