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Locally Led Development Initiatives
2024 Issue 3 Edition |
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MALAWI: SHIFTING POWER DYNAMICS WITH THE LOCALLY LED DEVELOPMENT CHECKLIST |
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 Blantyre District Coordinator guiding a scorecard session for the PAMODZI activity in Malawi. (Photo Credit: Sam Kalimba from MANASO)
Power dynamics within donor-funded development and humanitarian aid projects have traditionally favored donors relative to prime implementing partners and primes relative to sub-partners. A measurable shift towards locally led development hinges on addressing and redistributing power to create more equitable spaces for local ownership and decision-making. The PAMODZI project in Malawi, supported by Local Works, is facilitating this shift by implementing the Locally Led Development (LLD) Checklist.
Initially unfamiliar with the tool, the PAMODZI team gathered all project stakeholders together for Pause and Reflect sessions to utilize the LLD Checklist. Through active listening and inclusivity, power dynamics among USAID, prime partners, and sub partners have shifted in Malawi.
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NORTH MACEDONIA:
CREATING INCLUSIVE SPACES FOR ALL |
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 Photo Credit: USAID/NorthMacedonia
Throughout North Macedonia, autistic children are required by law to attend and learn in the same classrooms as their neurotypical peers. Given the obstacles this can present, community members in the small Northern village of Radusha identified a need for a complementary therapeutic space for neurodiverse youth to regulate feelings of distress.
With the support of USAID’s Local Works program, the community gathered key stakeholders and mobilized additional resources to establish a sensory room at their elementary school in less than six months. “As a parent of an autistic child, the sensory room is a beacon of hope for us. It’s a space where my child can feel safe, understood, and free to express themselves,” said Ganimete Topojani.
Read more about how Local Works is strengthening the capacity of local communities like Radusha to take the lead in identifying and addressing their own development challenges.
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🏆 FSN LOCALIZATION FELLOWSHIP 🏆
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In 2023, Local Works co-created a three-to-six month virtual and in-person fellowship for 18 Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs) focusing on localization. Fellows were embedded within IPI’s Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships Hub and different Bureaus, including the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Bureau for Management, and the Bureau for Global Health.
The Fellows provided their extensive Mission field experience to the ongoing implementation of USAID’s localization agenda. The expertise and recommendations from Fellows enhanced Washington’s ability to support Missions that are tackling challenges associated with implementing and scaling localization initiatives. Check out the Localization Fellowship video to hear FSNs speak to the transformative impact the Fellowship had on them, their Missions, and USAID as a whole.
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EVENTS
USAID’S AGENCY LEARNING, AND EVIDENCE MONTH
This May, USAID’s Agency Learning and Evidence month will offer public sessions exploring the theme of “What Works and Where to Find It.” Register today for two virtual sessions hosted by Local Works team:
Direct Local Partners Know What Works: Evidence from the Local Works Program: May 15 at 10 a.m. EDT - Join a panel of speakers sharing research findings and their perspectives on how direct awards and forging new relationships with USAID support development outcomes. Panelists include:
- Sarah Rose - Senior Advisor for Localization, USAID Office of the Administrator
- Miriam Santivañez - Principal Investigator of the Project, Management Science for Health - Perú
- Riad Berdayi - Project Management Specialist, USAID/Morocco
- Leila Belahcen - Acquisition and Assistance Specialist, USAID/Morocco
- Jovanna Mehandzic - Deputy Director, USAID/Serbia
- Djordje Boljanovic - Program Management Specialist, USAID/Serbia
- Amanda Satterwhite - Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Specialist, USAID/Washington
Check out evidence from Peru, Morocco, and Syria at our Locally Led Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning page.
Where Partnering Locally In Non-Permissive Environments Works: May 22 at 8:30 a.m. EDT - Learn about recent evidence and experience that demonstrate how local partnerships can support development outcomes in post-conflict countries and other challenging environments. Panelists include:
- Gunjan Veda - Global Secretary & Executive Director, The Movement for Community-led Development
- Haris Kusmic - Project Management Specialist, USAID/Washington
- Nehal Sanghavi - Private Enterprise Officer, USAID/Burma
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TOOLS AND RESOURCES
KEY ADS RESOURCES TRANSLATED
Eight ADS documents related to the assistance award making process have been translated into French, Portuguese, and Swahili, with four of the documents also translated into Spanish and Arabic. These documents comprise some of the most important references that a local partner must understand and adhere to when partnering with USAID, ranging from provisions for non-U.S. NGOs to pre-award terms . These translated ADS documents are now publicly available and easily accessible on the WorkWithUSAID website under ADS documents in the Resource Library.
FOR PUBLIC COMMENT: MUTUAL CAPACITY STRENGTHENING & TRANSITION AWARD RESOURCES
LFT/LLDI research partner, Stopping as Success+ (SAS+) is currently soliciting public comments on two resources posted to their website: SAS+ Mutual Capacity Strengthening Guidelines for Transitions to Local Ownership and Transitioning Responsibly Through USAID Transition Award Processes, for local and international organizations seeking to advance locally led development. SAS+ and LFT/LLDI encourages your feedback and relevant examples on these resources by June 19 and June 3, respectively.
COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM YEAR IN REVIEW
USAID's Cooperative Development Program (CDP) is a global initiative that strengthens the capacity of cooperative businesses, credit unions, and cooperative ecosystems. Check out CDP’s Year in Review from fiscal year 2023.
JOIN THE PARTNER DIRECTORY
WorkwithUSAID.gov helps prospective and existing partners learn how to better compete for USAID funding. To assist in discovering the wealth of information and tools available (in multiple languages), we will highlight a different part of the website in each LLDI newsletter:
Partner Directory: A listing of development organizations that are working to make sustainable changes in communities around the world. Register now to increase visibility among USAID staff and other organizations looking for collaboration opportunities. Currently, there are more than 3,700 entities from 90+ countries listed (of which more than 60 percent self-identify as “local”).
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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, situated within USAID's Bureau for Inclusive Growth, Partnerships, and Innovation (IPI). 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.
Stay up to date with all the latest information from USAID’s LFT Hub by subscribing to these additional newsletters!
- American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA)
- Cooperative Development Program (CDP)
- Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (FBNP)
- Limited Excess Property Program (LEPP)
- Locally Led Development Initiatives (LLDI)
- New Partnerships Initiative (NPI)
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