At the 2025 CSO Week in Arusha, Tanzania, the session “Alternative Approaches to Building Resilient Institutions and Movements” sparked a critical dialogue on what it truly means to localize development. Grounded in principles of community agency and self-determination, the discussion advanced APN’s mission to elevate African philanthropy. The panel featured Cynthia Bavo, Head of Program Quality and Learning, Foundation for Civil Society, Dr. Stigmata Tenga, APN Executive Director, and Lilian Tamale, CivSource Africa, Uganda, who collectively challenged participants to examine whose voices shape development narratives and who controls resource allocation.
At the heart of the discussion was a compelling call to redefine community-led development, not as a tokenistic phrase, but as a strategy for sustainable development driven by trust, ownership, and locally grounded philanthropy. “Localization can’t just be a checkbox in donor frameworks,” Dr. Stigmata emphasized. “It must be an intentional shift in power and trust.” She went on to stress that localization is about transforming mindsets, recognizing African institutions not as passive aid recipients, but as equal and capable development actors. “As Africans, we must lead the way in shaping our development by reclaiming our agency and defining justice through the lens of our lived experience.”
The panelists further unpacked the limitations of donor-defined cycles and highlighted community philanthropy as an alternative that offers both agency and adaptability. “There are ways of doing things in Africa that might not make sense to donors but make perfect sense to African communities,” Tamale said, reaffirming the value of indigenous knowledge and local innovation. Models implemented by the Financial Resilience Hub in East Africa were presented as enablers of this shift, offering flexible, untied funding that allows CSOs to operate beyond rigid log frames and towards long-term impact. Tamale explained that, with access to flexible funding, some CSOs in Uganda can invest in locally-rooted business models, social enterprise, and reserve funds while also unlocking the opportunities from Corporate Social Investments (CSIs).
Also speaking during the session, Edna Chilimo, the Lead Coordinator at Change the Game Academy (CtGA) Tanzania, urged CSOs to invest in domestic resource mobilization. Drawing from a decade of work empowering local actors, she emphasized that community-led fundraising is more than a financial strategy; it is a path to deeper accountability, inclusion, and resilience. Nowhere was this more evident than in CtGA’s inspiring story of how communities raised Tsh 200 million through a marathon to fund a cardiac clinic at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC), following CtGA. training. Supported by Wilde Ganzen foundation and implemented by the Foundation for Civil Society, the initiative stands as an example of what is possible when communities are given tools, trust, and space to lead.
The session culminated in a powerful reflection on the future of civil society, one where African solutions are centered, power is radically rebalanced, and resilience is defined and driven by local communities. Panelists stressed that alternative models for building resilience are not new; they have deep roots in African communities. Beyond funding, the discussion highlighted often-overlooked pillars of resilience: context-specific strategies, preservation of dignity, and mobilization of non-financial resources like social capital. Practical pathways forward include community philanthropy, social enterprises, endowment funds, and reserve funds, all tools to build civil society resilience.
By Frida Chilimo | 10th June 2025