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Bonding, bridging and the reparative role of philanthropy

Civil society was once indistinguishable from community. It lived in cooperatives like Banyankore Kweterana, or the Ghana Marketing Association, in women’s groups like the Women’s National Coalition, in student associations and more. It was relational, relatable and right next door. But somewhere along the way, NGO-ization gentrified civil society’s original landscape and transformed what used to be a local and people-powered civic space into a gated community of professionalized, donor-driven institutions that fenced off the everyday people that originally constituted civil society.

Resource on the decline: How will NGOs deliver on their mission priorities?

We witnessed similar abandonment not long ago. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the West went into an overdrive of selfishness and decided to starve the Global South of vaccines. They forget one thing: when we are not safe, they are not safe. Well, the pandemic is over, and we are here. The development aid cut is no different from the vaccine apartheid we witnessed during the pandemic days.

Light in times of darkness: Community philanthropy offers a way forward

The reliance – even dependency – of large sections of southern civil society on international donor funding has long been an uncomfortable truth in our sector. A truth that has been easy to bat away, a can kicked down the road, tomorrow’s business. All of it perilously resting on the assumption of the current funding paradigm.

Colouring outside the colouring book: Seeking out the alternative systems for movement organizing. Part 1

No one ever claims to hold power within philanthropy. I have met countless people who are well paid, who hold positions of power and/or are backed by endowments. Many of these always refer to another unknown power. From directors to project officers, trustees to backdoor funders; all of them referred to some other power over and above them. This is how systems work. They lie in nuance and ambiguity whilst explicit through tools and controls. Invisible, but always void of any of the accountability it demands of others. When it dies, it tends to implode in and of itself, rather than be dismantled externally.

Rethinking the logframe: A reflection on power, purpose, and measurement

It’s striking how enduring the logframe has been. Perhaps because many organisations were smaller and more centralised then, adoption was easier. Or perhaps once embedded in donor systems, it was too difficult to dislodge. It often feels like an attempt to nail spaghetti to a wall — to force complex, relational, adaptive work into a linear accountability framework.