Let’s stop using the term “beneficiary” in global development and philanthropic work, and let’s stop asking local organizations to spend hours of their time gathering details to satisfy our expectations of ‘beneficiary metrics’. Why? 🫴🏽 The word ‘beneficiary’ implies a benevolent giver of charity, and a passive recipient. The concept erases the agency, insights, leadership, … Continue reading
What is the role of philanthropy in the context of massive cuts to foreign aid in the US and elsewhere? In this article in Alliance Magazine, my colleagues, Nina Blackwell and Priya Dhanani, and I offer five guiding principles for philanthropy’s role in the context of the USAID shutdown and other cuts to overseas development … Continue reading
Monday marked my last day with Firelight. When I joined Firelight in 2014, our mission was – as it is today – to support communities in Africa to care for their own children and youth. But, we were a completely US-based organization in terms of our board, our staff, and our systems and practices. Today, … Continue reading
In philanthropy, there has been increasing interest, dialogue, and work towards shifting power and working towards equity and justice. In this context, different philosophies and approaches have emerged. On a list-serv that I am part of, a recent discussion emerged on the distinctions between three related but different paradigms that seek to shift power in … Continue reading
I’m honoured to let you all know that this recently published book, White Saviorism in International Development, includes a chapter co-authored by my colleague Shama Dossa and myself. The chapter agues that the principles and practices of evaluation are tools for the White gaze, and perpetuate neo-colonial and racist aspects of global development. Here is … Continue reading
“A new generation of funders is radically challenging how the sector defines and achieves its goals — arguing that shifting power to communities is both more ethical and effective for long-term impact.” I am pleased to share this piece I wrote for the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy describing how Firelight came to develop … Continue reading
I am proud to share this peer-reviewed article I co-authored alongside Susan Wilkinson-Maposa, and my colleagues who are CBO leaders: Mary Kabati, Prosper Ndaiga, Saeed Wame and Moses Zulu. In this piece, we discussed the community-based organisation (CBO) leader and practitioner perspective on social change and partnering. Through surveys, interviews, and convenings involving CBOs from … Continue reading
“Modern charity has largely failed to produce real, lasting change.” In Alliance Magazine, I explored how the framework of charity has failed to achieve lasting, systemic change or a shift towards equality despite the good intentions of funders and the billions of dollars that have been spent. I explore how solidarity offers a different framework, … Continue reading
I was so pleased to join the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in July to speak at their conference on the New Frontiers in Funding, Philanthropy and Investment. In this panel, and indeed throughout the conference, we discussed the ways in which traditional philanthropy has perpetuated White supremacy, neocolonialism, Global North imperialism, racism, and inequitable systems that … Continue reading
I was thrilled to join the Participatory Grantmaking Community for a conversation about the tensions of fundraising for participatory grantmaking (PGM) along with Paul-Gilbert Colletaz from the Red Umbrella Fund and Yodit Tesfamariam from Camden Giving. We started the conversation with some guiding tensions about whether it matters where the money for participatory grantmaking comes … Continue reading
Sadaf Shallwani 