News

Since my last blog post a few months ago, I’ve been hoping that the funding crisis in the aid sector would start to slow down. Instead, its impact on humanitarian and development agencies seems to intensify, hitting local and national organisations the hardest.

My friend and former colleague Mary Akugizibwe, founder of the Uganda-based Global Refugee Initiatives, or GRI, is precisely in this situation. Since its establishment in 2017, GRI has built schools for more than 3,000 children and provided healthcare, livelihoods and other support to over ten thousand displaced people and their host communities.  I wrote more about their work here. But their last grants are coming to an end this month and there is no new funding in sight.

Mary Akugizibwe

“There were months this year we weren’t able to pay salaries in time, but our teachers and operational staff continued working” says Mary. “The needs are just too great, and they keep increasing” – a reference to the growing influx of refugees fleeing conflict in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We meet at a café near Geneva, reflecting on this year’s seismic changes in international aid. “This is the second major crisis for GRI. The first one was due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We are being tested a second time” she continues. “Despite all the challenges that year, we managed to build a second school after Covid. Now… I’ve never seen anything like this. Even international NGOs are leaving Uganda. Their withdrawal is putting a heavy weight on local and national organisations, like GRI. Donors must step in.

We can’t let our humanity drop. This is not just a funding crisis, it’s a humanity crisis.”Mary goes on to reflect on the bigger picture: “For years, local and national actors and the entire humanitarian system have made the case for localisation to bring humanitarian reforms closer to where the action is. Now… these reforms can’t happen without financial resources. And those resources must be flexible so we can operate in unpredictable circumstances, like these”.

Is your government supporting GRI and other local/national organisations in light of these developments?

The Ugandan government is already doing a lot to support refugees. Our national refugee policies are among the most progressive in the world. Uganda is currently hosting almost two million refugees from neighbouring countries (Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and others). The government gives land and other in-kind support to refugees so that they can sustain themselves. Local authorities also play a key role in defusing tensions between host and refugee communities over access to resources. Organisations like GRI don’t get any financial support from the state but, frankly, the government is already doing a lot. We need other players to step into this game.

What about the private sector and other potential domestic donors?

There are a few private companies – mostly small businesses – that give what they can. We’re also seeing local donations from private individuals coming in, but not at the scale we need to continue our operations.

Where are your plans to seek new funding?   

We were already developing a partnership strategy and then the funding crisis hit. It was a big shock, and still is.  It has disrupted all organisations in the sector and required us to adjust quickly, prioritise the continuity of essential services, and reassess our long-term existence and funding pathways.  

One option that we are considering amid this emergency is to collaborate with philanthropic resource mobilisation entities.  These are organisations that focus on raising funds and channeling them to local actors delivering programmes in shared areas of interest.  They are not operational implementors but help diversify funding through private contributions. We are currently engaging with a few such partners to better understand how this model can support our future work.

We are also looking to strengthen our own organisation. For example, we need new Board members to bring in fresh ideas, strategic insight and stronger networks. We do have a solid collaboration with the UN, including with UNHCR [the UN refugee agency] but it is not financial in nature at the moment. It’s mostly about coordination and complementarity at the local level. Another thing we do is to have a fundraising campaign on our website for individual donations.

Have you considered testing the ‘Emergency Response Room’, or ERR, model to your areas of intervention? It is essentially a network of local aid groups delivering complementary forms of assistance, based on the lessons learned from the humanitarian emergency in Sudan.

The Emergency Response Rooms in Sudan are an inspiring example of community-led coordination in acute humanitarian crises. I think they worked in Sudan because formal coordination systems were harshly disrupted and communities had to self-organise to deliver life-saving assistance.

We have seen similar community-driven models elsewhere. For example, neighbourhood-based community kitchens in Ukraine and Palestine show how local actors can mobilise rapidly when other systems are overstretched.

Uganda’s context is very different. Here, the government and UNHCR have established a strong coordination structure to respond to refugee situations. Sector working groups function effectively and there is good complementarity in service delivery. Introducing an entirely new model like the ERR could risk duplicating what already works and create unnecessary confusion.

ERR-style models also require a lot of investment in time, staffing and resources to set up and maintain. At a moment when many local organisations in Uganda are struggling with the global funding recession, the priority is sustaining essential operations, not starting parallel systems. But the core philosophy behind the ERR model – community leadership, shared planning and rapid local action – is extremely valuable. This is the same philosophy behind much of Uganda’s refugee response. We are, however, always open to learning from ERR and integrating relevant elements in our work.

Thank you, Mary. I really hope GRI will survive the current crisis and even start growing again soon. Is there anything else you would like to say?

Yes.  Mine is a broader appeal to the international community, especially donor governments and philanthropic partners. We cannot lose the progress we have collectively built over many years. Behind every delayed or reduced grant are real people; children, women and families, whose lives, recovery and opportunities depend on continued support. This funding crisis is a moment to reaffirm, not retreat from international solidarity. Local and national organisations like GRI have the access, trust, and knowledge to deliver impact efficiently. With even modest, predictable support, we can safeguard essential services and help communities survive this difficult period.