Reimagining Development: Centering Humanity, Culture, and People
A new blog by Soni Khanal explores what it could mean to reimagine development at a time when civil society faces shrinking civic space, funding constraints, and rising political pressures. Drawing on insights from Jacqueline Asiimwe, Fifi Boateng, and Robert White, the piece argues that development must move beyond money and formal frameworks and return to its roots, centering humanity, culture, and community leadership. It highlights how African giving has long been grounded in relationships, reciprocity, and everyday acts of care, and why solutions that ignore cultural context can unintentionally disrupt what communities value most.