Beyond the Myth: What Locally-Led Organizations Really Need

​What do locally-led organizations (LLOs) truly need to thrive — and who gets to decide?

​In global development spaces, a troubling narrative is gaining traction: that LLOs are “over-capacitated and underfunded.” But is it true? This session invites funders, INGOs, and local actors into a frank, evidence-based dialogue that pushes back on oversimplified assumptions.

​Co-led by Warande and Mama Hope, the conversation is grounded in new findings from a rapid survey of over 100 LLOs across 20 African countries. The results? A much more complex, compelling story — one rooted in lived realities and often-misunderstood needs.

​Rather than a formal presentation, this session will:

• ​Share provocative insights from the survey

• ​Center local voices and lived experience

• ​Open the floor for honest dialogue about power, partnership, and progress

​Together, we’ll explore:

• ​What capacities LLOs already hold

• ​The systemic barriers that hinder their growth

• ​What real support and solidarity should look like in today’s development and humanitarian space

​This session is just the beginning — a generative space designed to seed a white paper, fuel advocacy, and reposition LLOs as co-creators of lasting solutions.

​Come with curiosity, leave with conviction.