When Systems Tremble, Local Leadership Endures
As international aid contracts, communities and civil society organisations are being forced to confront long-standing questions about power, dependency, and who gets to define development priorities. Session Five of Reclaiming the Frame explored how this moment of disruption can create space for locally led approaches rooted in community knowledge, ownership, and collective giving.
The conversation called for partnerships that strengthen local agency rather than dictate it, while reminding local leaders to exercise power with humility, accountability, and inclusion. Even amid uncertainty, communities continue to organise, collaborate, and build alternatives that position them not as beneficiaries of development, but as its authors.