Recorded September 2024: In this episode, Willie Mpasuka, founder of Rays of Hope Malawi, shares his inspiring journey of turning a small grassroots organisation into a transformative organisation that now improves the learning outcomes of thousands of disadvantaged children. Willie offers invaluable insights into how locally-led organisations have the potential to drive large-scale social and economic change, if supported.

Kindly note that this episode was recorded on location, so you may hear some background noise. We keep these conversations brief out of respect for our guests' busy schedules.

Key highlights

• Local communities should not be viewed as passive recipients of aid but as active participants in designing and implementing development projects.

• Building trust-based relationships between donors and grassroots organisations is critical to driving more sustainable outcomes.

Our favourite quotes from this episode

• “Grassroots organisations are the lifeblood of communities. They understand local needs better than anyone else because they live in them every day.” - Willie Mpasuka

• “We can’t rely on a one-size-fits-all approach. Development must be context-specific and community-led to make a lasting impact.” - Willie Mpasuka

As always, if you have any thoughts or feedback on this episode; send us a note at hello@fundingwithtrust.org. Remember to subscribe and stay updated with more stories of impact!

Recorded May 2024: Our guest, Pauline Picho, Executive Director of Nama Wellness Center (NAWEC) in Uganda, shares how her organisation is transforming healthcare access in some of Uganda’s most underserved communities. In this episode, recorded on location, Pauline gives us a snapshot of how Nama’s Community Health Workers (CHWs) are closing the healthcare gap for thousands of families.

Kindly note that this episode was recorded on location, so you may hear some background noise. We keep these conversations brief out of respect for our guests' busy schedules.

Key highlights

• Only 53% of Uganda’s population resides within a one-hour walking distance of a health center. Nama Wellness Center is actively addressing this disparity in Mukono District.

• Nama Wellness Center treats over 1,500 patients daily and reaches 9,000 babies in the community through its extensive network of CHWs.

• Nama’s CHWs are critical in promoting safe childbirth. Thanks to their efforts and partnerships with Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), 95% of women in the area now deliver in health facilities (up from 88% at baseline).

• TBAs are incentivised to refer mothers to hospitals, contributing to the region’s improved maternal health outcomes.

Pauline also talks about Nama’s challenges with scaling their programs, government collaboration, and the vision for a specialised maternal and child health hospital.

Correction: At the 10:31 - 10:36 mark, it was mentioned that Traditional Birth Attendants are paid $2 per month. The correct figure is $10 per month.

Our favourite quotes from this episode

• "Community health workers, if well-trained and supported, can truly serve a large part of our community and bridge the gap between the community and health facilities." - Pauline Picho

• "My motivation comes from the smile on a mother’s face when she delivers safely." - Pauline Picho

Do you have any thoughts or feedback on this episode? Send us a note at hello@fundingwithtrust.org. Remember to subscribe and stay updated with more stories of impact!

Recorded April 2022: In this episode, our guest, Anubha Rawat, the Projects Director of DAK foundation, a funder that supports locally led development initiatives in Africa and South Asia. Anubha shares her background working in the development sector and how she became passionate about funding local organizations that are often overlooked by mainstream donors. She also talks about the challenges and opportunities of working with locally led organizations, such as building trust, providing capacity building, and understanding their context and needs.

Anubha also gives us some insights into her experience of conducting site visits in Africa and how she approaches them with respect and curiosity. She emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions to the organizations and giving them time to respond, rather than imposing preconceived notions or expectations. She also shares some tips for funders who are planning to visit their partners on the ground and how to make the most of their interactions.

Recorded March 2022: Our guest, Wawira Njiru is the founder of Food for Education and UN in Kenya person of the year 2021. Wawira tells us how her organization provides school meals to thousands of children in Kenya, an intervention that stops children from fainting or sleeping in school because of hunger. She also explains how Food for Education partners with the government and other stakeholders to scale up their impact and ensure sustainability.

Wawira also shares how she uses technology to support payments and operations in her program, adapting it to the local context and needs of the beneficiaries. She also gives some advice for locally led organizations on how to be successful in fundraising and the importance of alignment to vision/mission between funder and organization. She emphasizes the need for trust, transparency, and mutual learning in the funding relationship.

Recorded November 2021: In this episode, hosts Eve Omala and John Deeks are joined by Solomon King Benge, Founder of Fundi Bots. Frustrated by an education system that did not foster experimentation, curiosity and creativity, Solomon founded Fundi Bots to bring skills-based, practical science education in Africa schools.

In a country with low internet coverage and where most teachers have no access to computers, Fundi Bots has trained over 10,000 students.

Solomon discusses why grassroots organisations are best placed to address their own problems and the challenges they encounter while trying to secure funding for their organisations. He shares tips on what he believes donors can do to address inherent biases and how they can give communities the agency that they deserve.

Our guest Wendo Aszed, Founder of Dandelion Africa in Kenya left a successful banking career to start a women's non-profit focusing on improving the social and economic position of women by working with men. Wendo talks about how she’s engaged men and the wider community in promoting women’s health, addressing gender based violence and eradicating female genital cutting. Despite having proven impact, she still struggles with funders trusting that she can deliver on her work. Wendo shares practical tips on what funders can do to build trust and mutually accountable relationships with locally-led organisations. In this podcast, listen for the rooster.

For lasting change to happen, it must be led from the ground up. However, locally-led organisations still struggle to attract funding mostly because of low perceived trustworthiness from donors and a lack of visibility. Our Co-hosts, Eve Omala & John Deeks want to change this. Join Eve and John as they talk about why Funding with Trust exists, what impact they hope to achieve and what motivates them.