From its outset, the HUL-IRDT project has steadily built towards sustainable transfer of its development and scaling-up activities to partners and other stakeholders with long-term commitment in the project geographic regions and subject areas, including project site community collective-action groups and leaders. It will do this through an explicit, comprehensive strategy such that, even after the completion of the project, innovations successfully self-perpetuate or replicate and attract co-funding and new resources to support and expand the process. This community ownership model is essential to the attainment of not only the project’s short-term goals, but also its medium-term, and ultimately, its long-term goals. The project’s community ownership strategy encompasses three components: (1) choice of partners who have a long-term commitment in the specific locations and subject areas of the project (2) measures taken throughout the project life cycle that promote independence and sustainability of activities within communities without support from the partner organizations; and (3) a plan for gradual disengagement from direct intervention of IRDT, towards the end of the project cycle. With regard to promoting sustainability, participatory activities will capacitate and prepare community partners on the ground to take over on-going support of end of project with wholehearted community participation and ownership, by adoption of levels and continued expansion of those levels by building collective action, creativity, innovation and risk-taking capacities, which are the core elements of sustainability. The field experience of IRDT with regard to community based cadre building and volunteerism will be valuable with regard to social sustainability.