Working towards more equal international development
In conversations with local partners in the Philippines, we asked about their experiences working with donors. What followed was an outpouring of troubling stories: donors who dictated what local communities needed; donors who required detailed monthly reports; donors who made promises that were never fulfilled; donors for whom they organised extensive visits and workshops, only to never hear from them again. These conversations serve as a stark reminder: the international development sector is one where power —especially the power of colonialism and money — can have deeply harmful consequences.
It made us reflect on our own practices. While we have always aimed to foster equal relationships through locally-led, long-term partnerships and flexibility, we recognize that we, too, must keep challenging ourselves. Conversations about power and equality are never truly finished; they require continuous reflection and a willingness to push for improvement. With this in mind, we have recently piloted two new approaches to power shifting: trust-based giving and participatory grantmaking.
Trust-based giving: A leap of faith in local leadership
With support from a small Dutch foundation, we embarked on an experiment: providing two years of funding to three extraordinary community leaders in Cameroon, India, and Indonesia—Pascal, Yesumarian, and Ika. Having collaborated with them for years, we had built a foundation of trust that made it possible to take a step back and fully support their leadership. These individuals have long been at the heart of their communities, relentlessly working to restore dignity and uplift the most marginalized.
Instead of defining the terms, we let them decide how best to use the funds, knowing that they — better than anyone else — understand the realities of their communities. In turn, they empowered the people they support to identify solutions and take ownership of their own progress.
Key lessons:
- The local leaders – Yesumarian, Ika and Pascal – took on this responsibility not for financial gain but out of their deep commitment to their communities.
- They directed their efforts toward young women and girls facing gender-based violence, human trafficking, and social exclusion.
- Rather than providing short-term aid, they focused on sustainable solutions—investing in education and small businesses.
- This initiative reaffirmed the importance of trust: real change happens when local leaders have the space to act on their own insights.
Participatory Grantmaking: Sharing the power of decision-making
In a programme financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have experimented with Participatory Grantmaking (PGM) in seven countries for three years. This approach challenges the traditional model by placing decision-making power directly into the hands of those most affected by the issues at stake.
In each country, our local partners formed committees to manage grants, design selection procedures, and guide communities in shaping their own projects. The results have been remarkable: 58 grassroots initiatives — ranging from interfaith youth camps in Iraq to football tournaments fostering peace in Ethiopia — came to life, all led by young people and women.
Key lessons:
- Many participants had never before been given the chance to shape funding decisions, and the sense of ownership was transformative. Empowering them in this way has strengthened their confidence and commitment to driving change in their communities.
- We need to be flexible and minimise bureaucratic barriers, allowing more time and energy for real impact.
- By letting local actors take the lead, we witnessed innovative, context-specific solutions emerge.
- This initiative also raised challenges: how do we balance trust with accountability? We are still navigating this, ensuring that our own systems do not become barriers to equal partnerships.
The impact on communities
Shifting the power isn’t only the right thing to do, our pilots show that it also stimulates local creativity to design interventions that fit the local context better and yields more sustainable results. We saw this happening, for example, in Cameroon, where Pascal chose to support single mothers abandoned by soldiers stationed in the city of Mora. As single mothers, these women were ostracised by society; in a male-dominated culture, a woman’s value is often tied to her status as a virgin. With no legal means to hold fathers accountable, many of them found themselves trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and violence, often forced into sex work to survive.
With Pascal’s support, the women decided to set up a fish-selling business — a smart move given the shortage of fresh fish in Mora. By investing in freezers and other essential equipment, they were able to establish a stable source of income and strengthen their economic position.
The impact of this project has been profound. The business not only provided financial security but also fostered social cohesion and a stronger sense of community. Many women acquired new skills and became determined to further empower their community through additional entrepreneurial initiatives. As Ivone Biya shares: “No one abuses me anymore. I have learned new skills, like sewing, and most importantly, I can now feed my children.” This initiative highlights the power of economic independence and collective action, showing how investing in women’s resilience and agency can transform entire communities.
Looking ahead
Power shifting requires flexibility and an open mindset, as we are no longer the ones in control. Experimenting with this approach comes with challenges, but we are already seeing how it strengthens engagement and ownership of people and communities. Power shifting allows us to collaborate in a way that is not only more sustainable but also truly respects the capacities and resilience of the people we work with.
As we continue exploring power shifting, we are committed to sharing our learnings and expanding these efforts. In 2025, we will publish a final report on our trust-based giving pilot, reflecting on its impact and insights gained. To deepen our understanding, we will also evaluate the long-term impact and sustainability of participatory grantmaking within target communities, and publish a Participatory Grantmaking toolkit, contributing to a growing movement of more equitable and locally led development and ensuring more communities can benefit.
