A call for proposals, but only if you are from the “right part” of the world
Studying the ways in which aid remains restricted has been the progressive discovery of how little we still understand the racist schemes of the international aid system.
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Tied Aid: A development challenge that refuses to go away.
At this time, when governments of developing nations are increasingly skeptical of foreign funding, barriers imposed by the donor countries put grassroots CSOs at enormous risk. As powerful elites in the Global South continue to discredit CSOs in the name of ‘foreign agents’, tied aid contributes to this narrative, muddying the waters for activists.
To my feminist siblings, there is a funding crisis in feminist activism.
When the sector talks about donor fatigue or donors saying they don’t see where the money is going. Well, only less than 10% of your money comes directly to us. They should ask Northern CSOs about the other 90% – they shouldn’t ask us.
Pelo fim das regras de financiamento discriminatórias contra a sociedade civil do Sul Global!
Prezados membros do Comitê de Ajuda ao Desenvolvimento (CAD) da Organização para a Cooperação e o Desenvolvimento Econômico (OCDE),
Nós somos parte do movimento #ShiftThePower (#PoderParaAsComunidades), uma rede global de grupos da sociedade civil e organizações internacionais aliadas do campo de desenvolvimento internacional. Escrevemos ao CAD com uma preocupação urgente.
Too Southern To Be Funded: Open Letter to the OECD DAC and an Urgent Call for End Discriminatory Funding Against Global South CSOs.
For a long time, details governing the flow of resources from OECD DAC members to Global South CSOs have been “buried” in layers of paperwork and technical language in a manner that has been opaque and difficult to grasp. However, our analysis of DAC member aid flows reveals systemic imbalances in the distribution of Official development assistance
Community as leader – community as process
A poem by Sugarbird:
When all the acronyms fade away and the jargon moves to the periphery
All that remains true are the strands we call community.
Decades of debate and research of the factors that enable communities to act.
Co-existing in a flawed system, in rest, in care: Reflections from the #ShiftThePower Global Summit.
As I edit this draft that was originally started in December shortly after the summit (which I decided to shelve to go for my annual break) I remember the power of rest that resounded throughout the summit. I remember the curiosity on the faces of over 700 people. I remember the tranquility room where I once napped, and I was joined by a participant who was having her prayers. I remember how we both co-existed in that space, her in her prayers, me in my half sleep/siesta and there was a powerful message within that moment that has stayed with me ever since. That we can co-exist, in rest and in care.
Evolving together: What caterpillars can teach us about transforming philanthropy
Have you heard of imaginal cells? This is what Amaha Selassie asked us as we sat in the jungle-themed hotel lobby. It was the night after the #ShiftThePower Summit in Bogotá, and 5 of us had come together seemingly by accident, talking for hours about the worlds of possibility and complexity that the Summit had unlocked. None of us knew about these cells, so Amaha explained
“The #ShiftThePower agenda is a liberation agenda” – interview with Dzikamai Bere, ZimRights
The decision to develop this strategy came after a period of introspection and a strong demand from our members to prioritize the people. There was a perception that ZimRights had fallen victim to elite capture creating a Secretariat that was in the pocket of the donors with no motivation for shifting the power.
Shifting power in Bogotá: Notes from the #ShiftThePower Global Summit
Recognizing that no single person has capacity to take on the whole system, incremental change in multiple different places can be powerful.