Insights, Reflections & Perspectives

August 16, 2026

Unlearning should eventually become visible in the way a funder makes decisions, in who participates in setting priorities, in how risk is understood, in how flexible funding can be, in whether local organisations can influence the agenda, in how feedback moves through a relationship and in what happens when a community says, “This is not working.”

August 6, 2026

Every development system carries a history. The partnerships we build, the institutions we strengthen, the evidence we privilege, the risks we manage, and even the language we use are shaped by assumptions inherited over generations. Some of these assumptions have enabled progress. Others continue to reproduce unequal relationships, concentrate decision-making, and distance development from the communities it seeks to serve.

August 6, 2026

Philanthropic capital carries histories of generosity and solidarity, but also of extraction, accumulation, and unequal power. Those histories continue to shape who defines priorities, who controls resources, and whose knowledge and leadership are trusted.

July 30, 2026

This report captures more than the findings of a pilot. It documents the evolution of an emerging methodology for collaborative unlearning

June 9, 2026

When philanthropy matches dollars in communities where wealth is measured differently

May 28, 2026

On Africa Day, we honour a continent defined not only by its diversity and resilience, but by its deep traditions of solidarity, community knowledge, and collective imagination.

May 27, 2026

By Imelda E. Akurut. Lately, I am convinced that context deserves a budget line, but don’t mind me, I am just a health economist, systems thinker, and reluctant participant in scalability conversations. Development has become obsessed with scale, but what if not everything should scale?

April 23, 2026

Localization was meant to shift power, but has it only decentralised implementation? This piece questions who is really steering development—and what it would take for local actors to truly lead.

April 21, 2026

The future of philanthropy depends not only on how resources are allocated, but on who shapes their use. This reflection explores the critical role of development practitioners in bridging the gap between intention and lived reality.