Category: Blogs

  • “Akagasente”: What Trusting Frontline Leaders Really Looks Like in Philanthropy

    “Akagasente”: What Trusting Frontline Leaders Really Looks Like in Philanthropy

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    by

    Micheal Gumisiriza
    in

    Not long ago, I visited Mahani zone in the heart of Rwamwanja refugee settlement in southwestern Uganda; a place over 90,000 people call home. Among them is Abuba, a skilled chicken farmer and the founder of Ignite Hope Initiative, a refugee-led organisation that recently received a flexible seed grant through Cohere, by the Global Whole…

  • Do the work, build a foundation first!

    Do the work, build a foundation first!

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    by

    Ruth Njiri
    in

    One of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to the argument for building partnerships rooted in trust, is that one should trust immediately, absolutely and unequivocally. This cannot be further from the truth. Distrust within the humanitarian sector has deep roots in the sector’s history, structure, and power dynamics. Many of today’s systems were built…

  • Reimagining Philanthropy: Why Unrestricted Funding is a Lifeline now, Not a Risk.

    Reimagining Philanthropy: Why Unrestricted Funding is a Lifeline now, Not a Risk.

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    by

    Micheal Gumisiriza
    in

    Philanthropy is at a crossroads. With global crises escalating; from Eastern DR Congo to Gaza, Sudan, and beyond; and overseas aid slashed across donor countries. Charities and NGOs face crushing uncertainty, globally. Yet demand for their services has never been higher. Recently, at Cohere’s Congo Gathering Point, we heard harrowing updates: nearly 80,000 people are now sheltering in…

  • The changing landscape of humanitarian financing: Understanding its uncertainties

    The changing landscape of humanitarian financing: Understanding its uncertainties

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    by

    Daniel Mekonnen
    in

    At the start of the year, the world was confronted with a new global reality when the newly elected U.S. government, historically the leading financier of global aid, announced it would discontinue much of its foreign aid. This abrupt decision has sent shockwaves across the humanitarian and development sectors, including UN entities, international NGOs, and…

  • Gathering Points and Relationship Based Aid

    Gathering Points and Relationship Based Aid

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    by

    Edmund Page
    in

    The Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo is currently experiencing a crisis. Decades of bubbling tension has overflowed into wide scale conflict, with at least 7000 people killed so far. Traditional forms of humanitarian aid are not getting into the country. There are three main reasons why international aid is barely trickling into…

  • Realpolitik In Aid

    Realpolitik In Aid

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    by

    Edmund Page
    in

    For over 20 years an organisation called InterAid was the main implementation partner for the most significant refugee response contracts in Kampala Uganda. All public funding allocated towards Education for refugees in Kampala, for example, found its way to InterAid. They were responsible for running education programmes in urban areas such as supporting schools with…

  • The Pact for the Future: What does it mean for our work and to forced displacement?

    The Pact for the Future: What does it mean for our work and to forced displacement?

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    by

    Christina Thompson
    in

    In this issue of our quarterly advocacy blog, we want to briefly unpack some key features of the newly adopted international consensus document, the Pact for the Future, that was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 22-23 September 2024. We also make some observations on its impact on the future of advocacy in relation…

  • Brands And The Corporatisation of NGOs

    Brands And The Corporatisation of NGOs

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    by

    Edmund Page
    in

    Of the $46 billion given in humanitarian aid, only 1.2% is put in the hands of local actors and far less is put in the hands of leaders from communities affected by forced displacement. (HPG, November 2023) When donors choose to give, be they tax payer funded donor agencies, private philanthropic agencies or individual donors,…

  • Neocolonialism Through Due Diligence. The Price of Depending on Imperialist Institutions for Brokering Trust

    Neocolonialism Through Due Diligence. The Price of Depending on Imperialist Institutions for Brokering Trust

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    by

    Edmund Page
    in

    Global crises fuelling the displacement and protracted emergencies for increasingly vast populations around the world is the result, for a large part, of global inequalities and the perpetuation of inter-continental and intergenerational injustices. Reallocation of unjustly concentrated resources and a shift in power in the way we collectively deal with the world’s problems is needed…

  • The question of knowledge production in forced displacement

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    by

    Daniel Mekonnen
    in

    We live in a global political order strained by multiple crises and/or drivers of vulnerability. Key among such crises are increased instances of armed conflicts in various parts of the world, which are giving rise to an ever-increasing number of displaced persons. UNHCR’s annual flagship report, Global Trends, presents another disheartening picture on the state…