Barbara Nöst, Zambian Governance Foundation for Civil Society (Zambia)

Our work at the Zambian Governance Foundation includes engaging civil society in conversations about the power imbalances between funding agencies and local entities, the dependency syndromes that we seek to overcome, and how to regain control over the direction we would like to take as an organization.  But most importantly, it entails putting community-led development into practice. This effort is far from easy, requiring commitment to our values and resilience, at both the individual and organizational levels, to avoid falling into the temptation of resignation. The biggest obstacle to winning over others to come on board, however, is not the mind-sets we encounter in the communities with whom we work. It is the entrenched inertia of organizations of the traditional aid system that are hesitant to engage in this conversation.

What has helped me stay the course is the network we have built since we were given an opportunity to immerse ourselves into this world of new, emerging, forward-thinking organizations at the Global Summit on Community Philanthropy held in December 2016 in Johannesburg. Since then, we have connected with organizations, community foundations, local grantmakers, grassroots organizations, social enterprises, climate activists, progressive collectives of individuals, funders and NGOs that play important roles in shaping an alternative perspective on how social change can be achieved. Connecting with like-minded individuals is important both for individual self-care and for building our social and political muscles as a global community. Our own journey began at the 2016 Summit. Let the Summit in Bogotá be an opportunity for many more organizations to realize that an alternative way is possible.