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BUREAU FOR DEVELOPMENT, DEMOCRACY, AND INNOVATION
LOCAL, FAITH, AND TRANSFORMATIVE PARTNERSHIPS HUB
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Locally Led Development Initiatives |
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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 EDITION
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BURMA: THREE LOCALLY LED APPROACHES TO PREVENT DRUG USE |
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 PHOTO CREDIT: HOPE FOR USAID. Lisu cultural dance group on Drug Day in Putao.
HOPE, a USAID partner in Burma, leverages long standing community relationships while taking context-driven, evidence-based approaches to drug use prevention and rehabilitation in a region heavily affected by a heroin epidemic. Read about how their locally led, holistic efforts are improving access to healthcare for those who use drugs, while raising awareness to make healthy choices for those who do not.
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PARAGUAY: A LOCAL PARTNER WITH A GLOBAL IMPACT
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 PHOTO CREDIT: USAID/Paraguay. Members of a women's committee conducting small business activities, supported by USAID and Fundación Paraguaya.
Focused on microenterprise and financial inclusion, local Paraguayan nongovernmental organization Fundación Paraguaya started as a small office with just seven employees three decades ago. Today, it has a workforce of 440 individuals spread across 28 offices in Paraguay, as well as a satellite office in Tanzania, and their economic development programming has impacted over 85,000 families.
However, the road to Fundación Paraguaya’s present success was not easy! Read more about their approach and discover their top six recommendations for local organizations seeking to strengthen their operations.
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SERBIA: NINE WAYS DIRECT LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS ARE GOOD FOR DEVELOPMENT |
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 PHOTO CREDIT: USAID/LOCAL WORKS. A photo from a seed bank supported by USAID/Serbia’s activity in Mionica, Serbia.
As the Agency seeks ways to overcome the many structural barriers to incorporating direct local partnerships, it is worth taking a step back to consider why such partnerships are so important. Through its Local Works program, USAID/Serbia has successfully advanced democracy and governance objectives under six activities, all implemented through direct partnerships with local Serbian organizations. Their experience carries useful lessons about the development benefits of working directly with local partners.
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 PHOTO CREDIT: Brenda Silverio from USAID/Dominican Republic. Marlí Tamayo, Local Works Project Management Specialist, during a site visit to the Northwest region of the Dominican Republic learned about local development efforts - practicing mutuality as described in the LCS Policy - addressing water and sanitation in a remote area in the Restauración province. USAID is helping local communities in the province secure access to water to support their farms and crops.
One year after the launch of the Local Capacity Strengthening (LCS) Policy, USAID is hosting the first annual LCS Policy Learning and Feedback Forum, taking place virtually between October 10-19, 2023. Local actors, global stakeholders in the development and humanitarian spaces, and USAID staff will share lessons learned and good practices, access to tools and resources, elevate successes, and communicate feedback on Policy implementation. By transparently discussing progress on Policy implementation, participants will help to inform Local Capacity Strengthening Policy implementation priorities for the coming year.
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🏆 LOCALLY LED DEVELOPMENT CHAMPION OF THE MONTH 🏆 |
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Locally Led Development Champions – Locally Led Development Champions – Local Works Mission staff–nominated by the Local Works DC team – embody the spirit of locally led development through their commitment, dedication, innovation, advocacy, and exemplary initiative to advancing its work. They advance and operationalize USAID’s localization agenda every day. |
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Durwin Humphery from USAID/Eastern and Southern Caribbean (ESC) is committed to keeping community voices at the forefront of discussions. Leveraging strategic opportunities, Durwin worked side by side with new partners to USAID to achieve each activity’s full potential. His work helped turn an unsolicited concept submission into a highly successful activity that is garnering interest, partnership, and investment from private sector entities, other donors, researchers, and government as a model for inclusive economic growth in the region.
At its core, Durwin says, locally led development means "communities of people identifying and solving their own challenges based on what works best for them.”
To that end, he proudly noted that USAID/ESC has “highly skilled and knowledgeable local partners.” Through working in close partnership with them, Durwin explained: “I was really surprised at the level of knowledge, skills, acumen and innovation.” And, throughout their collaboration, he noted “the unique methods used to engage beneficiaries based on an understanding of the local conditions was very impressive.”
However, working with local partners did not come without its challenges. When asked about his biggest challenge, Durwin noted a “sea of political roadblocks during the activity design and solicitation phase.” However, he continued, “I was able to work closely with the Embassy of Guyana Front Office, our USAID/ESC Mission leadership, and professional networks to resolve the issue, clearing the way for smooth implementation of the activity.”
At USAID/ESC, his team stands by their motto of “Thinking Regionally but Acting Locally.” They are working to “[help] facilitate a paradigm shift in the way people think about development.” According to Durwin, the way in which the Mission “conceives, designs, and implements its development interventions and initiatives has been impacted based on the success we’ve seen from our Locally Led Development programs.”
His advice for locally led development practitioners? “Don’t approach development believing you have the best method or approach to solve the many challenges. Locally led development has taught me that there are talented and knowledgeable partners and people that can transform the way we think about development and provide that grassroot connection for a more organic and sustainable approach to development.”
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VIDEOS
COLLABDev is a partnership between USAID and Action for Economic Reforms in the Philippines. Coalitions of Local Governments, Civil Society Organizations, and State Universities in ten municipalities used data collection and analytical technologies in improving services to local communities. Watch three videos below to see how local coalitions helped farmers, patients, and businesses increase their access to development services and support.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ON THE LIST: More farmers now receive information, support services, seeds, and other farm inputs because they are now listed in the farmer's registry. Farm mapping enabled farmers and agriculture officials to determine appropriate support.
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BETTER HEALTHCARE FOR ALL: More community members joined PhilHealth, the Philippines' social health insurance system, allowing them to avail of valuable health care services. Primary healthcare assessment and delivery were made easier using digitized health information systems.
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DIGITIZING DATA FOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENT: By mapping natural tourism sites and local business establishments, small communities are now being promoted as tourist destinations by their own citizens, especially by internet-savvy youth.
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BLOGS AND RESOURCES
As new USAID implementing partners launch their activities, they connect with community members, strategically plan their work, and decide how they will meaningfully measure their progress through their Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) planning. Taking the time to plan upfront for meaningful MEL can set both partners and USAID up for successful learning throughout their activities.
USAID/Serbia has been a Local Works Mission since 2015. Discover USAID/Serbia’s suite of resources that includes a complete program evaluation, tips for working with local partners, and best practices for supporting local partners with monitoring, learning, and evaluation (MEL).
USAID/Armenia has been a Local Works Mission since 2017. The Mission has worked extensively with local partners to use and derive value from USAID-specific MEL terms and processes. Take a look at the Local Works-adapted Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (PIRS), Activity MEL Plan template, and USAID Capacity Building Indicators they used here:
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LOCAL WORKS IN THE NEWS
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
- DDI/LFT supports USAID Missions to solicit, co-create, and fund flexible and innovative locally led development approaches through assistance awards to local and nontraditional partners. If your organization is a local organization in Guatemala, there is one open opportunity under the Locally Led Development Annual Program Statement (APS):
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JOB OPPORTUNTIES
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Locally Led Development Initiatives are part of the Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships (LFT) Hub.
The LFT Hub focuses on strengthening USAID’s ability to partner with non-traditional and diverse actors including local, faith-based, and community organizations; schools and hospitals; foundations; diaspora communities; cooperatives; and volunteer organizations. Learn more about how LFT is harnessing the power of partnerships through the following:
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