One starving baby. A man seeking purpose. An inspirational mother to hundreds.
In 1992, I had what most people would call a good life—work, friends, plenty of fun. But something was missing. I felt it every day.
Then I went to India, and everything changed. I was handed a starving baby, barely alive. That moment pierced my heart. I held that baby, and I knew I couldn’t go back to my old life. Something bigger was calling me.
When I returned home, I took a high-paying job in Hong Kong, thinking I could go back to “normal.” But that memory kept haunting me. The spark that started in India was growing into a fire. I knew I couldn’t ignore it. So I left my job and became a travel expedition leader, hoping to find the meaning I was searching for.
As I traveled the world, I saw incredible challenges—and the efforts people were making to solve them. But I realized something important: real change doesn’t come from outsiders. It has to come from within the community. I knew then that my purpose was to support aid that respects and empowers local people.
Then, I met Tendol Gyalzur, a Tibetan woman who was caring for abandoned children in her community. She wasn’t just feeding them—she was giving them love, dignity, and a chance at life. Her approach, blending aid with respect for her culture, inspired me deeply.
My vision for Global Roots started to take shape. On one of my expeditions, I met John Gray, a generous Oregon philanthropist who believed in my dream and became our first donor. Then another client, Mark Christiansen, helped me with the paperwork to turn the dream into reality.
Soon, Patrick Firouzian, a humanitarian photographer and explorer, joined me. Together, we started Global Roots’ Children’s Gardens—locally sourced school lunch programs in areas where aid was scarce or ineffective.
In 2010, we built our first Children’s Garden greenhouse at a school in Kenya, led by local agricultural experts. The impact was immediate—school attendance soared, test scores improved, and more kids graduated than ever before.
In Afghanistan, our greenhouses became a lifeline for orphaned and abandoned children, providing food security and a chance for a brighter future.
Global Roots isn’t just about growing gardens. It’s about growing hope. With every new project, we’re helping kids dream again, giving them the tools to build brighter futures.
Richard Montgomery, Global Roots Founder