Episodes
40
Latest episode
Aug 2026
Language
EN-US
Welcome to RISE: Solutions to Extreme Poverty in Rural Villages. I'm Wade Griffith from Shanta Village Partners, and I'm joined by my co-host Jaipreet Kaur from All We Can. This Podcast is a space for practitioners, funders, change makers, and anyone committed to eliminating extreme poverty to share their passion and knowledge on long-term approaches to rural development that center on community leadership. Each episode features practical strategies, lessons learned, and case studies from initiatives that are re-balancing power, prioritizing local knowledge, and building systems that last. At RISE, we're committed to advancing community-led development and rethinking the role of international actors through a decolonial lens. Special thanks to Fort Lewis College's radio station, KDUR, for their recording expertise and live airing of RISE.
In this solo episode, Wade flies without co-host Japreet to tackle two topics: the dismantling of USAID under the Trump administration and what that means for international development, and a "pull back the curtain" look at behind-the-scenes realities of the field that most donors and supporters never hear — lessons learned from years of on-the-ground work in places like Myanmar and Zambia.
In this episode, Wade is joined by Roland Mora (a Durango community member) and Sebastian Farrell (a Fort Lewis College engineering student) fresh off a trip to Zambia. They discuss a collaborative infrastructure project involving Shanta Village Partners, the Village Aid Project (VAP) from Fort Lewis, and local Durango partners like the High Noon Rotary Club, highlighting the kind of community-led, locally-centered development that RISE champions.
In this episode of RISE, Wade and Jai discuss decolonizing international development and spotlighting locally-led solutions, with Jai sharing updates on All We Can's work, including an upcoming supporter event called "Local Voice, Lasting Change" featuring a partner organization in Sierra Leone doing advocacy around FGM and domestic violence. The episode reflects RISE's broader mission of amplifying local practitioners and rethinking how international development is done.
In this episode of RISE, the conversation moves beyond funding challenges to examine what comes next. As traditional aid models face increasing uncertainty, we explore how development can evolve, centering local leadership, redefining success, and building systems that don’t rely on external support. This discussion offers a forward-looking perspective on what sustainable, community-led change truly requires.
In this episode of RISE, we examine the impact of shifting global funding priorities, including the loss of USAID support, on rural development efforts. Through firsthand experience, this conversation explores how communities and organizations are adapting, and why strengthening local leadership and long-term, community-led solutions is more important than ever in the face of uncertainty.
Wade and Jai sit down with Sudhanshu Shekhar Singh, founder of Humanitarian Aid International, to rethink what development really means. Together they ask: Does true progress require consumption and materialism, or can we define devleopment in more equitable ways?
What if the most powerful development leaders are the villages themselves? This episode highlights Shanta’s Villages Leading Villages pilot and the shared approach Shanta and All We Can take to peer-led development and women’s empowerment.
Meet Janet Nyoni, Program Manager in Zambia with the People's Action Forum, Shanta's partner on the ground, implementing life-changing work through true community-led development. How does she empower the people of these rural areas to believe in creating real change to rise out of extreme poverty? https://pafzambia.com/
In this episode, Wade Griffith and Jaipreet Kaur speak with Mwesigye Kwarimpa-Atim, Uganda Country Representative for All We Can. Together, they explore how locally led development, capacity-building, and long-term partnership can create lasting change in vulnerable communities. Mwesigye shares insights from her work across Uganda and offers a grounded look at what true community empowerment requires — and why it matters now more than ever.
Who's developing who? Wade and Jai discuss what constitutes successful community-led development.
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