10 Lessons in localisation making aid work for communities Sinead Walsh

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Walsh, Sinead, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Community development--International cooperation.

Non-governmental organizations--Management.

Humanitarian assistance.

Developing countries.

Physical Description:

1 online resource illustrations

Other Title:

Ten Lessons in localization

Place of Publication:

Rugby, Warwickshire Practical Action Publishing [2025]

Summary:

"Many, if not most, international NGOs say they want to ‘localise’, to promote greater leadership and delivery by local and national actors. But are they serious and do they know how to do it? This book presents ten lessons on localisation from the author’s 25 year career to date, working in and on NGOs in the development, humanitarian and climate sectors. These lessons are based on the author’s practice on the ground with NGOs and at global level as a donor representative, as well as her in-depth original field research. While written in an accessible style for the benefit of practitioners, with specific case studies of organisations presented, the book is rigorous and its findings are evidence-based. Sinead Walsh’s experiences that feed into this book include volunteering with local NGOs in India, working for Concern Worldwide on partnership in South Sudan, and conducting PhD research on ActionAid’s accountability to communities in Uganda. From these experiences, the author exposes structural issues that, time and time again, prevent international organisations from reaching their aims to ‘localise’. This book asks uncomfortable questions and challenges some deeply-held assumptions within the NGO sector. The book then provides recommendations for how NGOs can think and act differently in order to get serious about serving the communities where they work most effectively"-- Provided by publisher

Contents:

Points of departure

Partnership and how I came to it

Context, context, context

Partnership is not always the answer

The problems with NGO accountability

Enter ActionAid

What I learnt about ActionAid’s accountability

Who represents the community

Staffing for localisation

The centrality of power dynamics

Trend-jumping

Staff pressures and interests

The retention of control

The power of optics

Accountability through governance

Conclusion and the way forward

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's website, viewed April 10, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version Walsh, Sinead 10 Lessons in localisation

ISBN:

9781788534116

1788534115

OCLC:

1550466122