In recent years, Africa has witnessed a quiet but significant shift in the development landscape. The gradual withdrawal of traditional donors, due to shifting geopolitical priorities, domestic pressures in donor countries, or the growing critique of aid dependency, has led to many African civil society organizations confronting a stark reality, donor support is no longer guaranteed.| Another Way Is Possible
Movements have existed and have been organising long before “funding” and will continue to do so.| Another Way Is Possible
In today’s context, where international aid is shrinking and trust in global institutions like the UN and development agencies are declining, the need to reimagine development has become more important than ever.| Another Way Is Possible
With this method, there is never a final destination we seek to reach – but the journey is everything. We seek continuous improvement, and not a defined “perfect” target.| Another Way Is Possible
#ShiftThePower Global Summit will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal from 2 – 4 December 2026.| Another Way Is Possible
Lenie Hoegen Dijkhof, Abdoulaye Sawadogo and Malo Debe According to the CIVICUS Monitor 2024 report, Burkina Faso’s civic space was downgraded to “repressed,” dropping 12 points from …| Another Way Is Possible
Hungary has around 60,000 registered NGOs. A significant portion of these exist mostly on paper. Many operate in apolitical fields or provide valuable services without engaging deeply with questions of democracy, rule of law, or civic participation. The government’s strategy is subtle and devastating: not overt bans or shutdowns, but a campaign of financial strangulation and administrative pressure. The goal is clear: silence through suffocation.| Another Way Is Possible
Civil society was once indistinguishable from community. It lived in cooperatives like Banyankore Kweterana, or the Ghana Marketing Association, in women’s groups like the Women’s National Coalition, in student associations and more. It was relational, relatable and right next door. But somewhere along the way, NGO-ization gentrified civil society’s original landscape and transformed what used to be a local and people-powered civic space into a gated community of professionalized, donor...| Another Way Is Possible
At NTT, we have always wanted to set ourselves apart from the western INGO model of grantmaking.| Another Way Is Possible
Can the feeling of collective trust or belonging be measured by metrics that are not ours? Can we capture genuine links through imported definitions? Can a revolution be inserted into short, medium and long-term indicators?| Another Way Is Possible
Why does due diligence create such stress and anxiety? To answer that question, we must understand what it involves. As a requirement imposed by funders, its formats can vary widely. For example, bilateral funding sources such as USAID have stringent requirements, which may include retaining paperwo| Another Way Is Possible
The international aid system also has a clear glass ceiling where those at the grassroots can only peep at development philanthropy through the eyes of the big organizations whom the philanthropists trust and believe in. However, this clear glass is one way, where grassroot groups can see internatio| Another Way Is Possible
In July 2024, the Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF) extended their global reach to include Australia in the #ShiftThePower movement. I was fortunate enough to be invited to Bali to attend a 3-day meeting with 19 organisations from civil society around the world. Those in the meeting inclu| Another Way Is Possible
Like the system we wanted to change, we too played into a separation between object and subject, us and them, into the belief that what needed changing was ‘over there’, separate from us.| Another Way Is Possible
We fund marginalized groups because we believe that is the way to strengthen access to rights. We see democracy as access to rights, not just voting.| Another Way Is Possible