Localization Development: Building the Foundation
In this article, we share our thoughts on how our localization model feeds into the global development sector — as we continue to champion community-led change.
A little over 15 years ago, MAMA HOPE was founded as a non-profit organization in response to a broken development aid system — one in which top-down models disenfranchise grassroots leadership, undervalue local resources, and reinforce harmful stereotypes of communities in low and middle-income countries. Our mission ever since has been to champion community-led change, working in the service of grassroots leaders who have big dreams to change the world.
Our organization’s sole purpose was to create opportunities for communities across the world supporting local leaders to better spearhead their own development with the belief that local solutions work best.
Since its inception, MAMA HOPE has worked in over 9 countries across 4 continents with close to 30 organizations — focusing on building equal partnerships with local individuals, and communities. Our approach is based on a model where resources are invested in initiatives that shift power to communities aligned with local needs and priorities.
Our partner initiatives aim to improve health and education outcomes, create gender transformation frameworks, promote economic development and food security, and reduce donor dependency among communities. Our emphasis is on local ownership and how it works to build the capacities of local leaders to drive change.
MAMA HOPE is committed to shifting the sector through a bottom-up, community-led approach to development that empowers local leaders to drive change.
Localization & Global Development
At the very core of our model is the concept of localization. Localization is defined as the practice of involving and empowering local communities, organizations, and institutions in the design, implementation, and ownership of development initiatives.
The goal of localization is to ensure that development efforts are culturally appropriate, sustainable, and have lasting impacts at the community level. This approach emphasizes the importance of building local capacities and strengthening local systems to drive development, rather than relying on external actors.
Language Bank: At MAMA HOPE we prefer to say’ global’ and not ‘international’ development simply because the latter is becoming increasingly outdated with connotations of ‘the other.’ While ‘Global Development’ encourages a collective effort to better the world and it allows space for community-led development to be considered accurately. Our partners aren’t doing ‘international’ work but they are contributing to global development. For us it means that our partner communities eventually own their future, freeing generations from economic, social & environmental injustice.
Global development and localization intersect at the point where the latter involves integrating local communities, organizations, and institutions into the development process to ensure that initiatives are sustainable and have a lasting impact. By involving local communities in the decision-making process and building local systems, development efforts can become more culturally appropriate, responsive to local needs, and better equipped to address challenges. In addition, local ownership helps to ensure that development gains are not lost when external support is withdrawn; as local leaders are better positioned to sustain and build on progress.
Localization represents a shift from top-down approaches to development that are driven by external actors, to bottom-up approaches that are driven by local leaders with trust and listening are the guiding values. Through fostering local ownership and empowering local communities, localization creates more sustainable and lasting change in the global development sector.
Proven Localization Model
Over the years, MAMA HOPE remains in support of the global development sector by demonstrating the power of a localization approach. Through our model which focuses on supporting local communities and building local capacities, MAMA HOPE’s aim is to be a reliable pipeline for bringing early-stage community-led organizations into the global development space.
By partnering with local organizations, individuals, networks, and groups, MAMA HOPE will support early-stage Community-led Organizations (CLOs) to build local ownership of their development initiatives. Ensuring that resources are invested in initiatives that are driven by local needs and priorities. This approach creates more sustainable and lasting change, as local leaders are better equipped to sustain progress and address new challenges.
In addition, MAMA HOPE’s localization model provides a replicable and scalable model for other development organizations and stakeholders to follow. By sharing its experiences and lessons learned, MAMA HOPE can support the advancement of the localization agenda and promote the adoption of community-led approaches to development more broadly.
Overall, MAMA HOPE is supporting the global development sector by demonstrating the benefits of localization and by promoting a bottom-up, community-led approach to development.
Accelerating Localization
There is a growing recognition of the importance of localization in the global development sector, as a way to ensure that development initiatives are sustainable and have lasting impacts at the community level. However, many Community-led Organizations (CLDs) lack the capacities and resources to effectively design, implement, and sustain their own development initiatives.
This is where a program that focuses on the development of localization can play an important role. Such a program would support community leaders and their initiatives with flexible funding and organizational development to scale their locally-led models. The goal of such a program would be to support these organizations to become more efficient, effective and better equipped to understand and address the root causes of poverty in their communities.
A localization development program can play a key role in supporting community-led organizations and supporting to advance the localization agenda in the global development sector. By building the capacities of local leaders, such a program would ensure that development initiatives are driven by local needs and priorities and are better equipped to be successful and deliver lasting change. Such a program can support in:
- Capacity Strengthen their organizational development in areas such as financial and strategic planning, operational planning and management, communications and marketing, fundraising, project design & management, monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), networking, and mentoring.
- Development of effective organizational structures, processes, and systems to support their work,
- Access financial resources to support their initiatives, and
- Connect with other value-based organizations and stakeholders to build networks and partnerships that can support their work
There is a need to increase the number of community-led organizations in the global development sector because such organizations have the potential to drive sustainable and lasting change in low- and middle-income countries.
Community-led organizations are well-positioned to understand the unique needs and priorities of their communities and to design and implement initiatives that supports development initiatives that are sustainable and have a lasting impact for future generations.
In addition, community-led organizations can enhance the promotion of equity and accountability in the development sector by giving a voice to marginalized and underserved communities. By supporting local leaders to lead their own development, community-led organizations can reduce the influence of external actors and ensure that development initiatives are aligned with local needs and priorities.
In Summary,
We want to see local leaders and their locally driven solutions having a seat at the table of global development. Increasing the number of community-led organizations will promote greater diversity and innovation in the global development sector; as local leaders are better equipped to identify and address new and emerging challenges in their communities and in the world.
By accelerating the number of community-led organizations in the global development sector we can all promote sustainable, locally-driven development and advance the localization agenda.
