by Guest Author | Aug 2, 2023 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Can Storytelling Fuel Community-led Development? 08/2023 | Emily Kombe In 2022, I worked as a community organizer in an underserved neighborhood of West African and South American immigrants in Maryland, USA. My goal was to use relational organizing to build power...
by Guest Author | May 23, 2023 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Is The Aid Sector Tèt Anba? 06/2023 | Marie-Rose Romain Murphy In Haitian Creole, tèt anba means upside down or absurd. We say “bagay saa yo tèt anba” – things are upside down – when we want to describe a chaotic situation or just the state of the world gone wrong. ...
by Guest Author | Nov 15, 2022 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Shifting the Power with Power Footprints 11/2022 | Patrick Meier In 2015, WeRobotics set out to reduce the power asymmetries that exist in the social good sector by measurably expanding the space for locally-led practice. Naturally, we hardly did this on our own!...
by Guest Author | Oct 18, 2022 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
On Statues, Robots and Shifting-the-Power 10/2022 | Patrick Meier When we hear the word “statue”, our mind conjures up a confident figure of a likely-important human of epochs past. This figure stands resolutely on top of a firm and heavy pedestal. But my absolute...
by Guest Author | Sep 27, 2022 | From Where I Stand, Kenya, Uncategorized
All-of-government all-of-society; a view of localization from Narok 9/2022 | Elly Maloba So, what does ‘local’ mean in Narok County? The word conjures localized triggers and responses that form the basis of many of the conflicts in Narok County. It also marks the...
by Guest Author | Aug 30, 2022 | From Where I Stand, Kenya, Uncategorized
HOW LOCAL IS ‘LOCAL’? A Bottom-Up Perspective of Localization From Narok 8/2022 | Elly Maloba Growing up in the 80s, the otherwise silent hours between 4 pm and 6 am were permeated with the hiss of the transistor radio as my dad searched the airwaves for news...
by Guest Author | Feb 28, 2022 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Conflict Sensitivity, Peacebuilding Effectiveness, Perspective Blog, Uncategorized
Reimagining Evaluation: Putting Equity At The Center as Global Peacebuilding Comes To The United States 03/2022 | Michelle Garred When it comes to how peacebuilders evaluate our work, equity has often not been at the forefront. And, as we know, both what and how we...
by Guest Author | Sep 8, 2021 | From Where I Stand, Uganda, Uncategorized
Donors can do better 9/2021 | Linda Mwesigwa If donors are very honest with themselves, they will acknowledge that their desire for credit may be greater than that for impact. Otherwise, they would not be competing with their implementing partners for publicity. They...
by Guest Author | Jul 28, 2021 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Character Development: The role of aid in building character for civic engagement and national development 07/2021 | Ato Kwamina Nkum Ghana has enjoyed and continues to make progress in strengthening constitutional and multi-party democratic governance under the...
by Guest Author | Jun 22, 2021 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Localization – ‘Us vs Them’ 06/2021 | Hasangani Edema ‘Localization’ further establishes the notion of us vs. them I am one of a growing number of people in the humanitarian world who have had the experience of being both national...
by Guest Author | May 19, 2021 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Responsible Transitions to Local Ownership: Reflections from the 3D Program for Girls and Women 05/2021 | Sia Nowrojee As the COVID pandemic continues to spread around the world, the 3D Program team stands in solidarity and love with our partners in India, where cases...
by Guest Author | Apr 21, 2021 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and… Supremacy, Neo-Colonialism, and International Development 04/2021 | Ann Hendrix-Jenkins Amidst the branches, we – volunteer harvesters – chatted through the silver-green leaves, our conversation punctuated by the rain...
by Guest Author | Apr 14, 2021 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Sharing the keys to the localization house 04/2021 | Oheneba Boateng and Claudia Meier EU Commissioner Janez Lenarčič’s recent musings that “the biggest barrier to localization is the capacity of local actors” attracted a good dose of well-deserved criticism. But one...
by Guest Author | Mar 24, 2021 | Accountability & Feedback Loops, CDA Perspectives Blog, Perspective Blog, Uncategorized
Bringing more equality into aid and development studies: a view from Makerere University, Uganda 03/2021 | Farida T. Bena Share this article This blog was originally published on Kiliza on March 11, 2021. A few months ago, I wrote about...
by Guest Author | Mar 24, 2021 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Why Do I Make the Case for Equitable Partnerships with Local Actors? 03/2021 | Koenraad Van Brabant Friends and colleagues ask me why I am so persistent in what is referred to as ‘localisation’ i.e. supporting and reinforcing rather than replacing or instrumentalising...
by Guest Author | Mar 17, 2021 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
The Global Standard: Going Global, Acting Local 03/2021 | Bao Han Tran Le Civil society organisations (CSOs) practising a different kind of accountability towards their stakeholders is at the heart of the Global Standard’s mission and purpose. The kind of...
by Guest Author | Mar 3, 2021 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
If you want to support, vacate the space 03/2021 | Sudhanshu S. Singh After having worked for over three decades, mainly with international NGOs (INGOs) within India and elsewhere, and feeling disillusioned with the international aid architecture, I decided to return...
by Guest Author | Feb 18, 2021 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
“What if?” Questions with answers for a paradigm shift in the Aid System 02/2021 | Marie-Rose Romain Murphy What if… the shroud of invisibility that has been forced upon the reality of socio-economic and geopolitical dynamics of the foreign Aid sector was peeled...
by Guest Author | Dec 21, 2020 | Accountability & Feedback Loops, CDA Perspectives Blog, Perspective Blog, Uncategorized
New USIP Report Gives Us Something to Talk About: The Essential Ingredients for US National Security Grounded in Conflict Prevention 12/2020 | Neil Levine Share this article This blog was originally published on Medium on December 18, 2020. CDA Reflects...
by Guest Author | Dec 16, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
From where we stand 12/2020 | Sarah Cechvala, Sabina C. Robillard, and Grace Boone. Reflections on the From Where I Stand forum and what comes next This is the second blog in a two-part series. The first blog laid out, through the contributor’s words,...
by Guest Author | Dec 10, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
What we’ve heard 12/2020 | Sabina C. Robillard, Sarah Cechvala, and Grace Boone Lessons and Insights Straight from the ‘From where I stand’ Contributors This blog is part one of two blogs. This blog is intended to present key themes from the From...
by Guest Author | Nov 2, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Partnerships in humanitarian action 11/2020 | Lizz Harrison Equality in partnerships There are ‘partnerships’ all over the world between international, national and local organisations working together towards a mutual goal. That mutual goal is meeting the immediate...
by Guest Author | Oct 28, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
How localization supports practical solutions for women, peace, and security 10/2020 | Nanako Tamaru and Mirsad “Miki” Jacevic This week marks the 20th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) which is the first of eleven resolutions that...
by Guest Author | Oct 16, 2020 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Perspective Blog
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel in exit planning – let’s use what’s already out there 10/20 | Rachel Hayman Share this article This blog was originally published on INTRAC’s website on October 5, 2020. Responsible exit planning is as vital now as it has...
by Guest Author | Oct 7, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Localisation four years after the Grand Bargain: what is still missing? 10/2020 | Mary Akugizibwe Before starting a career at the international level, I had worked at the country level and founded the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Global Refugee Initiatives...
by Guest Author | Sep 23, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Can we put the rhetoric into action? 9/2020 | Alex Carle As a mother, a New Zealander, a woman, a white person, a person who has lived on every continent but often as a privileged minority, I am excited that others are ably expressing a frustration and unease I have...
by Guest Author | Sep 9, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
The case for a joint degree in comparative development 9/2020 | Farida T. Bena Before Covid-19, before Black Lives Matter, the aid and development sector was already grappling with massive challenges – the ‘Aid too’ movement, the full-on attack on multilateralism, the...
by Guest Author | Sep 2, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Exploring the gender lens on Localization: Working on GBV issues in northern Nigeria. 9/2020 | John Ede Farida* 30, recounts how she was sexually abused by close relatives and friends before the age of 2. A situation of sexual harassment and abuse she has endured...
by Guest Author | Aug 27, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Can better programme adaptation, defined by strong community participation and engagement, strengthen our contribution to local ownership? 8/2020 | Gabriel Mukoloka The experience of World Vision DRC These are deeply challenging times for people like me who are...
by Guest Author | Aug 20, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
A network of global action starts locally: Scouting in response to a global pandemic 8/2020 | Frederic T. Kama-Kama As the Africa Regional Director of the World Scout Bureau, I feel privileged to witness at a relatively close range the initiatives of many local Scout...
by Guest Author | Aug 6, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Elevating local knowledge for sustainable impact 8/2020 | Sheena Adams and Nyema Richards Walking around Monrovia, Liberia it’s hard to escape Hipco music. From supermarkets and dress shops to small, battered radios attached to motorcycle taxis, the music floats all...
by Guest Author | Jul 8, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
From a rectangle to a circle: It’s time to turn the turn tables on aid 7/2020 | Ada Ichoja Ohaba I am the coordinator of the Do No Harm Humanitarian Development Initiative, a Nigerian NGO that trains civil society across the country about conflict sensitivity. I...
by Guest Author | Jul 1, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Liberation starts at home 7/2020 | Cecilia Milesi Northern and Southern actors need to work towards a radical renewal of the international cooperation business In the midst of a unifying global humanitarian and political crisis, as it is with the Covid-19...
by Guest Author | Jun 17, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
The quality of a leader: how photography helped me see peers everywhere 6/2020 | Sanjay Gurung, interviewed by Ruth Rhoads Allen About this blog and interview This blog is unique. It offers a question and answer interview format that is intended to show the...
by Guest Author | Jun 11, 2020 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Conflict Sensitivity Community Hub, Dost Bardouille, Uncategorized
Difficult Conversations: Why International Practitioners Must Do More to Address Racism at Home 6/2020 | Dost Bardouille Dear Colleague, We’ve worked together for years on peacebuilding, conflict resolution, human rights, social responsibility, and sustainability....
by Guest Author | Jun 3, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Equity and locally led development in times of COVID-19 6/2020 | Alex Martins Since the global effects of COVID-19 became apparent, the question at the forefront of my mind has been will this crisis finally convince the aid sector that locally led development is...
by Guest Author | May 27, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Power and accountability: Lessons from Nepal about the value of community ownership and devolution of power 5/2020 | Ujjwal Amatya On April 25th, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal – the strongest earthquake to hit the country since 1934. An estimated 8.1...
by Guest Author | May 20, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Who is Local? 5/2020 | Paul George Tracing the origins and changing meanings of the word in the lexicon of humanitarian aid through my experience My first paid job was doing research on the post-conflict recovery strategies of communities in India’s...
by Guest Author | May 13, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Part 2: Illuminating the Rhetoric-Reality Gap: What Really Counts as Locally-Led Development? 5/2020 | Ann Hendrix-Jenkins PART TWO BLOG TWO OF A TWO PART SERIES In the first part of this series, I made the case that the international aid sector recognizes the value...
by Guest Author | May 6, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Illuminating the Rhetoric-Reality Gap: What Really Counts as Locally-Led Development? 5/2020 | Ann Hendrix-Jenkins PART ONE BLOG ONE OF A TWO PART SERIES Are we stuck in a rut? Across international aid, calls are increasing for “localization” of interventions....
by Guest Author | Apr 29, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
No Angels, No Devils: a view on ‘localization’ from Cite Soleil 4/2020 | Louino Robillard and Sabina Carlson Robillard If you head down to the small makeshift bar next called Marco’s in Cite Soleil, a marginalized neighborhood on the outskirts of the Haitian capital...
by Guest Author | Apr 23, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
Localization: It’s about Taking the Leadership Journey Together 4/2020 | Pauline Wambeti I am the Director of an organisation called Nuru Kenya. We, as a locally led organisation, are especially exposed to the effects of the constantly changing social, legal,...
by Guest Author | Apr 20, 2020 | From Where I Stand, Uncategorized
COVID-19: The Importance of Investing in Local Humanitarian Leadership 4/2020 | Vincenzo Bollettino, Allyson Brown Kenney, Ngo Bibaa Lundi Anne, Farman Ullah, and Angela Wiens At a Concern Worldwide-supported Nutrition Site in Rohingya Refugee Camp, Bangladesh, mother...
by Guest Author | Nov 13, 2019 | Uncategorized
My beloved Lebanon – Joining the revolution, virtually 11/2019 | Ziad Achkar Share this article Note from CDA: From Hong Kong to Bolivia, Iraq to France, South Africa and the Global Climate Strike, people around the world are in the streets to demand change. CDA is...
by Guest Author | Jun 25, 2019 | CDA Perspectives Blog, From Where I Stand (Related), Perspective Blog, Uncategorized
What is required for a conducive space for local agency and power? June 4, 2019 | Isabella Jean Share this article This article was originally published at www.stoppingassuccess.org, the dedicated website for the Stopping As Success research initiative. In this...
by Guest Author | Mar 21, 2019 | Uncategorized
Collective Impact in Peacebuilding – What Have We Learned? 03/2019 | Polly Byers Share this article By Polly Byers, Former CDA Executive Director Collective Impact in Peacebuilding – What have we learned? As challenges for humanitarians, peacebuilders, and development...
by Guest Author | Jan 10, 2019 | Accountability & Feedback Loops, Uncategorized
Daily Nudges: Using Community Feedback for Problem Solving 01/2019 | Isabella Jean Share this article This reflection about daily nudges in adaptive humanitarian programs was first presented at the ALNAP London Workshop “Making humanitarian response more flexible:...
by Guest Author | Jan 8, 2019 | Conflict Sensitivity, Do No Harm Project, Uncategorized
Do No Harm for Faith Groups – What is it? 01/2019 | Dilshan Annaraj and Maya Assaf-Horstmeier Share this article This post was originally written by Dilshan Annaraj and Maya Assaf-Horstmeier for World Vision International and is reposted with permission. Why we...
by Guest Author | Dec 6, 2018 | Accountability & Feedback Loops, Accountability and Feedback Loops
Participation in Decision-Making Would Truly be a Revolution 12/6/2018 | Isabella Jean Share this article So how are we doing when it comes to participation of crisis-affected people in decision making processes that affect their lives? “Participation is a buzzword....
by Guest Author | Sep 28, 2018 | Uncategorized
Commentary to the Colombian case studies developed by CDA and Fundación Ideas para la Paz on the role of businesses in peacebuilding August 28, 2018 | Laura Bernal-Bermúdez and Catalina Irisarri Boada Share this article These comments were published previously in...
by Guest Author | Aug 28, 2018 | Accountability & Feedback Loops, CDA Perspectives Blog, From Where I Stand (Related), Listening Project
Getting to Locally Led Development: What We Can Do to Move the Needle August 6, 2018 | Share this article This post was originally written by USAID LEARN and posted here on the USAID Learning Lab blog, on August 6th, 2018, and is reposted with permission. To watch the...
by Guest Author | Jun 11, 2018 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Conflict Sensitivity-Do No Harm
Do humanitarian agencies really NEED to be accountable to communities? June 12, 2018 | Sharon Reader This post was originally written for and posted here on the CDAC Network blog, on June 11, 2018, and is reposted with permission. By Sharon Reader, Community...
by Guest Author | Feb 28, 2018 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Corruption in Fragile States
The big shift that police and justice professionals need to make in fragile states February 28, 2018 | Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church Share this article When operating in fragile states, donors and implementers working in the police, justice and corrections space need to...
by Guest Author | Jan 30, 2018 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Corruption in Fragile States, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Two Insights from an Experiment in Collective Corruption Resistance January 30, 2018 | Kiely Barnard-Webster and Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church Share this article With every experimental action, there needs to be feedback (informal and formal monitoring and evaluation),...
by Guest Author | Jan 23, 2018 | Afghanistan, CDA Perspectives Blog, Conflict Sensitivity-Do No Harm
Third Party Monitoring in Volatile Environments – Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks? January 23, 2018 | Lauren Kelly and Marie Gaarder Share this article The use of third party monitoring as a risk management tool in volatile countries raises important quality,...
by Guest Author | Jan 19, 2018 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Corruption in Fragile States, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Peacebuilding Effectiveness
What Worked: Fighting Corruption Through Collective Action January 19, 2018 | Kiely Barnard-Webster Share this article “The central contribution of the Network [for its members] is that members no longer feel alone in the fight against corruption during their...
by Guest Author | Dec 16, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Responsible Business
The Risky Business of De-Risking in Fragile and Conflict Affected States December 16, 2017 | Brian Ganson Share this article The need for conflict sensitive policy for private sector development by Brian Ganson, Head, Africa Centre for Dispute Settlement Our two-year...
by Guest Author | Dec 13, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Conflict Sensitivity-Do No Harm, Corruption in Fragile States
Towards a Corruption-Sensitive Conflict Analysis December 13, 2017 | Michelle Garred Share this article In this blog post, Michelle Garred, conflict sensitivity practitioner for 15 years, challenges herself to rethink her hesitancy to approaching corruption...
by Guest Author | Nov 29, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Conflict Sensitivity-Do No Harm
Do No Harm: Meta-Trends November 29, 2017 | Dilshan Annaraj and Maya Assaf-Horstmeier Share this article World Vision Shares Internal Learning Process on their Conflict Sensitivity Programming In this blog post, World Vision’s Associate Director for...
by Guest Author | Nov 29, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Corruption in Fragile States, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Corruption : résister à tout prix ? November 29, 2017 | Gabin Bady Kabuya, Florence Liégeois Share this article Resisting corruption is not easy, not even when supported by a collective effort. The Kuleta Haki Network, now numbering more than 100 individuals, has made...
by Guest Author | Nov 15, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Corruption in Fragile States
The Biggest Paradigm Error in Tackling Corruption, Not Dealing with Organized Crime November 15, 2017 | Eric Scheye Share this article International organizations, donors and policy analysts have, over the past few years, recognized how organized criminal networks...
by Guest Author | Nov 7, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Corruption in Fragile States, Ghana
First: Prevent the Misallocation of Funds. Then: Strengthen the Rule of Law November 7, 2017 | Liz David-Barrett Share this article I have argued elsewhere that corruption causes two distinct types of harm. It has a primary impact – the effect of a particular corrupt...
by Guest Author | Oct 25, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Corruption in Fragile States
Embedding Social Norms for Effective Anti-Corruption Interventions October 25, 2017 | Ben Cislaghi Share this article In this post Ben Cislaghi draws our attention to two points that might contribute to our thinking about norms and corruption. The first is that social...
by Guest Author | Oct 19, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Central African Republic, Corruption in Fragile States
Why the International Community’s Efforts to Reform Police and Justice in the Central African Republic Might be Making the Situation Worse October 19, 2017 | Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church Share this article In this post Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church shares evidence to...
by Guest Author | Oct 11, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Central African Republic, Corruption in Fragile States, Peacebuilding Effectiveness
Pity the Man Who Stands Alone October 11, 2017 | Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church Share this article In this post Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church shares findings on how: (1) Acts of jealousy and revenge fuel the manipulation of the criminal justice system in the Central African...
by Guest Author | Oct 10, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Central African Republic, Corruption in Fragile States, Peacebuilding Effectiveness
How the Séléka/anti-Balaka crisis has been gas on the fire of corruption the Central African Republic October 10, 2017 | Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church Share this article In this post Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church shares findings from our new research examining corruption in...
by Guest Author | Sep 21, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Corruption in Fragile States
Reflections on Using Most Significant Change in An Anti-Corruption Program September 21, 2017 | Sandra Sjogren and Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church Share this article In this post, Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church and Sandra Sjogren reflect on their experience using Most...
by Guest Author | Sep 19, 2017 | CDA Perspectives Blog, Corruption in Fragile States
Why We Need to Kill the ‘Corruption is Cancer’ Analogy September 19, 2017 | Paul M Heywood Share this article In this post Professor Paul Heywood gives three reasons to why the analogy of corruption as cancer is not just misplaced, but positively unhelpful for efforts...
