The stories shared in this publication chronicle leaders – and the programmes they shaped – whose work has been pioneering in many respects. Each leader, grounded in faith and a belief in human dignity and justice, embraced a simple yet radical idea: that community development should not focus on needs and deficits, but rather on strengths, assets, and potential. Through their vision and leadership, they have mobilised people and resources to bring about hopeful, sustainable, and tangible change in communities where such transformation once seemed impossible.

Through many years of work with different communities, I have learned that each community has its own culture and, no less importantly, its own rhythm. In order to gain respect of its citizens, we need to listen carefully and with humility to what these daily rhythms are all about. This is what we have attempted to do when conducting the case studies that make up this publication: to enter communities with deep humility and listen from the heart. We hope that the result will encourage other development practitioners to do the same and find ways to support rather than undermine what is already manifesting on the ground.