Bond launches collection of stories to encourage support of locally led development
Melanie May | 28 October 2022 | News
Bond has launched a free online resource to encourage INGOs and donors to support locally led development, in partnership with Recrear and The Local Trust.
What makes a good “locally led” funder? Stories from your partners takes a storytelling approach to capture the human relationships and creativity that underly strong donor and local partner relationships, with illustrations by Liliana López.
The stories show how a locally led approach to international development can build a more equitable and sustainable system where initiatives are owned and led by people, in their country context.
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They emphasise that the sector works as a system where everyone has a significant role to play, from funders to national intermediaries to community activists. They also highlight the similar challenges both UK funders and those who fund internationally face, and encourages greater collaboration and learning between them. The stories also call for funders and INGOs to change the way they work, understand, and relate to the type of humanitarian assistance and development that puts local partners and communities in the driver’s seat.
The report is designed for institutional donors, INGOs, development agencies, foundations, philanthropies – or any person or institution that intends to resource development work within the UK or internationally. Bond invites funders and development practitioners to read the stories and reflect on how locally led development initiatives could be resourced.
Yolaina Vargas Pritchard, Sector Change and Funding Adviser at Bond, the UK network for INGOs, said:
“These stories are about returning to why we, the UK INGO sector, work with local organisations and demonstrate the impact of local activists and grassroot organisations.
“The collection of stories is about going back to the humanity of our development work, moving away from transactional relationships and towards building trust with local activists and grassroots organisations.
“This collection of stories contains reflective questions for you to think about as funders and INGOs. Ultimately, in this complex system, we all have the power to change how we interact with each other in pursuit of a more equitable development system.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.