Locally-led organisations should not only be implementing development work. Their knowledge, experience and priorities should shape how development is funded, practised and understood. MAMA HOPE's advocacy works to create more space for that influence. We bring locally-led organisations, funders and sector partners into conversation; create opportunities for local leaders to represent their own work and perspectives; challenge narratives that diminish local expertise; and share what we are learning about organizational strengthening and locally-led development. Our goal is a development sector where locally-led organisations are recognized for their expertise, connected to the people and opportunities that influence their work, and better positioned to shape the decisions that affect them.
Advancing Locally-
Led Development
SHIFTING DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES
BUILDING CONNECTIONS
EAST AFRICA CONNECT
East Africa Connect brings locally-led organisations, funders and sector partners together to build relationships, exchange ideas and explore opportunities for collaboration.
The series is rooted in a simple idea: strong global relationships begin with strong regional ones. By creating space for people working across East Africa to connect first, we aim to strengthen the relationships and networks that locally-led organisations can draw on within the region and beyond.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE:
Stronger regional relationships that locally-led organisations can draw on for learning, collaboration, partnerships and new opportunities, during and beyond MAMA HOPE’s programs.
EVENTS IN PICTURES:
AMPLIFYING LOCAL EXPERTISE
The conversations that shape development should include the people and organisations closest to the work.
MAMA HOPE participates in regional and international forums to share what we are learning alongside locally-led organisations, contribute evidence from our work and challenge assumptions about how development is funded and practised.
Wherever possible, we also create opportunities for partners and alumni to represent their own organisations, experiences and perspectives directly.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE:
More locally-led leaders contributing their expertise directly in the spaces where development priorities, practices, and funding are discussed—and stronger recognition of their knowledge and experience within those conversations.
CONFERENCES IN PICTURES:
SHIFTING NARRATIVES
RESEARCH & EVIDENCE (ONGOING)
Our advocacy is grounded in what locally-led organisations tell us and what we learn through our work.
Through surveys, research, program learning and partnerships, we gather evidence about the experiences of locally-led organisations—from organizational strengthening and funding to sustainability, leadership and equitable partnership.
We share these findings with funders, practitioners and sector partners to contribute evidence to conversations about how development can work differently.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE:
More sector decisions and conversations informed by evidence from locally-led organisations and their experiences. Not assumptions about what they need.
ETHICAL STORYTELLING TOOLKIT (2022)
Developed with Devex in 2022, our Ethical Storytelling Toolkit turns years of learning about representation into practical guidance for the sector.
It encourages organisations and funders to examine how language, imagery, consent and storytelling choices shape perceptions of communities, and to adopt approaches that recognize people’s dignity, agency and right to represent their own experiences.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE:
Organisations and funders make more intentional choices about language, imagery, consent and storytelling, adopting practices that respect people’s dignity, agency and right to represent their own experiences.
WATCH THE VIDEOS
#STOPTHEPITY CAMPAIGN (2012-18)
MAMA HOPE has long challenged storytelling that reduces people and communities to poverty, need or a single story. Through #StopThePity, we challenged narratives rooted in pity and saviorism and advocated for storytelling that recognizes dignity, agency, expertise and achievement.
Launched in 2012, #StopThePity reached millions of viewers and became an important foundation for MAMA HOPE’s ongoing work to challenge how communities and locally-led organisations are represented in global development.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE:
People and communities are represented beyond poverty and need, with greater recognition of their dignity, agency, expertise and achievements.
KNOWLEDGE HUB
BLOG: SHIFTING THE SECTOR
Shifting the Sector is our flagship publication where we share what we are learning from our work, our partners and the wider development landscape.
Through articles, reflections and research, we explore organizational strengthening, locally-led development, funding practices, narrative change and the questions emerging from our work.
Our aim is to contribute practical learning and locally-informed perspectives to conversations about how the development sector can work differently.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE:
Evidence and learning from locally-led development reach the people who can use it to question assumptions, inform decisions, and strengthen how they fund, partner, and practise development.
You can also subscribe to our Newsletter where we share updates on our articles, events, and impact.
WEBINARS
Our webinars create space to examine ideas, practices and assumptions shaping global development.
We bring together locally-led leaders, funders, practitioners and sector partners to explore topics ranging from funding and organizational sustainability to localization, leadership and equitable partnerships.
The aim is not simply to have the conversation, but to share perspectives and practical learning that people can carry back into how they fund, partner and work.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE:
Funders, locally-led leaders and practitioners leave with perspectives and practical learning they can apply to how they fund, partner and work.
DONATE TO SHIFT THE SECTOR
Locally-led organisations are already responding to challenges, building solutions and creating change in their communities. Your donation supports locally-led organisations across East Africa to strengthen the strategies, systems and relationships behind their work; so they can make stronger decisions, pursue new opportunities and build greater stability for the future.
