Amidst the limitations of traditional aid, beacons of hope emerge

In a powerful gathering of Abot-Kamay Community Solidarity Fund (ACSF) partners held in the vibrant Quezon City, Philippines in May this year, an unsettling truth came to light: an undercurrent of mistrust towards local and national NGOs from community-based organizations. This is largely fuelled by NGOs’ pressure to emulate the practices of INGOs.

This revelation hit many in the room hard, piercing through our collective consciousness.

For the Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP), it served as an important wake-up call. For some of us, this was a known fact. For others, it has further compelled us to reflect on the way we work with peoples’ organizations and community-based organizations, and how we fundamentally relate to our partners. We have been confronted with the weighty responsibility of examining and re-evaluating our commitment to local accountability and transparency.

Realizing that our partners deserve more from us is both humbling and challenging. We have recognized the urgent need to shed the cloak of complacency and walk a transformative path that restores faith and fosters genuine trust. This trust holds the power to unleash the potential of the “moveable middle” and to revolutionize our ability to access resources that complement traditional development aid (while we’re in the process of birthing a new system). Read more