We do not want to be beneficiaries forever

Fidel Aganze Bachirongo, founder of Stop Child Abuse (SCA), Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya

Fidel is a refugee. He founded Stop Child Abuse (SCA), a refugee-led organisation in Kakuma camp working on child protection and community self-reliance. He writes about aid from where it lands.

Below are the parts of his paper that stopped us, in his own words. The full paper is at the end if you want all of it.

A community can be consulted without having power.

A local organization can implement a project without controlling the project.

A refugee leader can speak at a conference without having a role in determining the policies being discussed.

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The Grand Bargain established a significant ambition: at least 25% of humanitarian funding should reach local and national responders as directly as possible.

Direct funding represented only 3.8%.

The problem is not simply that local organizations receive too little money.

The problem is also what kind of money they receive, through which channels, under what conditions, and with how much decision-making authority.

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Donors should ask: Who developed the proposal? Who controls the budget? Who makes strategic decisions? What happens when the grant ends?

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Risk should not simply be transferred from international organizations to local organizations.

Risk sharing must become part of localization.

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Five practical priorities: 1. Increase direct and flexible financing to local and refugee-led organizations. 2. Transfer meaningful decision-making authority, not merely implementation responsibilities. 3. Invest in long-term institutional capacity and organizational infrastructure. 4. Open donor, coordination and technical networks to local actors. 5. Create intentional space for affected communities and refugee leaders to exercise representation and leadership.

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A partnership should open doors for local organizations rather than become another door they must pass through.

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We do not want to be beneficiaries forever. We want to lead.

Over to you

We agree with Fidel. Our question: what would it take for a donor to hand over the budget, not just the work?

If you work for a donor: what stops you? If you lead a local organisation: what would you add to his list? Tell us in the comments. Or tell us your own story: fightglobalpoverty.com/contributors

Read Fidel's full paper: Download (PDF)

Follow Fidel on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/fidel-aganze-580125200

Support his work at Stop Child Abuse (SCA): sca.or.ke

The 3.8% figure: ODI, The State of International Humanitarian Funding to Local and National Actors (2026).