Localisation by design – learnings from Education Cannot Wait’s latest investment in Uganda

Authored by Victoria Margereson, Programme Development and Quality Manager, Street Child Uganda and Rachel Hopkins, Education in Emergencies Director, Save the Children Uganda

‘The world is recognising the impact of local initiatives’ said one of our local partners, having been involved in an innovative approach to localisation in Education Cannot Wait’s Multi-Year Resilience Programme II in Uganda (MYRP II). As a result of purposefully developing more equitable avenues for funding, 29% of ECW’s investment to Save the Children is now being implemented through local and national NGOs (L/NNGOs). This is a large increase on the MYRP I and more than the global target set by the Grand Bargain. We encourage others to take inspiration from this approach, so that we can drive progress towards our collective commitments to reallocate power, influence and resources more directly to communities.   

Our collective commitment to localisation requires intentional action

In 2022, Save the Children, which hosts the Uganda Education Consortium, together with UNHCR, were selected as co-grantees for the ECW-financed MYRP II. Save the Children entered a partnership with Street Child to set up the  Localisation Unit as a way of creating a separate avenue for funding to support L/NNGOs to apply for ECW funding and to ensure they had fair competition with INGOs.

Our biggest learning overall is that we need to be intentional and explicit in our approach to localisation, in order to shake up the status quo. 

We encourage ECW, donors, other grant agents as well as L/NGOs across ECW’s investments (and elsewhere!) to take forward these four lessons learned.    

1. Conduct research at country level which explores how a greater number of L/NNGOs can successfully apply for funding from large donors. Street Child’s online survey and focus group discussions in Uganda produced fascinating results which helped inform an improved localisation approach.

• 55% of survey respondents said they did not have a dedicated fundraising person. 83% cited competition with INGOs as the biggest barrier to access funding as INGOs have multiple resources to help them write proposals. 51% said application forms were too complex.
• To overcome these challenges: 83% suggested introducing a grant manager or grant management unit, 80% said to create separate application forms/process, 65% said to allocate dedicated funds to L/NNGOs and 42% stated due diligence support for partners was needed once they secured the grant.

2. Create a separate funding avenue for L/NNGOs to eliminate competition with INGOs, and establish a grant management unit.

• In Uganda, it was decided that at least 10% of the total available funding for programing would be allocated to L/NNGOs. Through the separate application process, 31 applications for the MYRP were received, with 5 L/NNGOs selected as grantees.
• Street Child created the Localisation Unit in response to feedback from L/NNGOs that a grant manager or management unit would help them receive and implement funding. The Localisation Unit acts as the intermediary between the donor or grantee, and the unit handles donor compliance requirements and partner due diligence assessments, providing greater flexibility for local partners. Fully funded by the ECW MYRP operational budget, the Localisation Unit offers a flexible, cost-effective, and easily replicable model. 

3. Simplify the application process for L/NNGOs and communicate it widely.

• Hold in-person or online workshops for applicants to run through the process in detail, highlighting what the reviewers are looking for. In Uganda, over 120 participants joined workshops, demonstrating the positive and wide reach the proposal had. As a result, most applications were filled in accurately and completely, making it beneficial not only to L/NNGOs but also to those assessing the proposals.
• Make adaptations to the proposal process, including simplified application templates, allowing longer time to submit proposals given that INGOs have additional resources and multiple support networks. 70% of L/NNGO after-action respondents in Uganda said that the application was straightforward, communication was clear, the templates were easy to understand, and that support was readily available from the Localisation Unit if the partners had questions. 

4. Organisations should receive ongoing and tailored capacity strengthening support.

• In Uganda the Localisation Unit has regular communications with the organisations during the implementation phases, including regular reports from organisations on how the project is progressing, alongside mentoring sessions with technical experts from key departments, such as finance, M&E and programmes.
• To support partners in future proposals, all applicants that were unsuccessful and wanted feedback on their proposal, received tailored constructive feedback from the Localisation Unit and the Uganda Education Consortium.

Young Africans Refugees for Integral Development (YARID) is a refugee-led organisation which aims to empower refugees through community-driven solutions, offering programmes in education, vocational training, digital literacy and job readiness. Under the ECW MYRP, YARID has implemented catch up programmes for both in and out of school learners .

Elvis Wanume, Education Manager at YARID described how “Securing funding in Uganda had been challenging due to strict donor requirements for local organisations. However, the process under the Localisation Unit with funding from ECW has been notably positive. Through thorough due diligence and extensive capacity-building efforts, the Localisation Unit has significantly enhanced YARID's capabilities. For instance, we have now registered for online banking, and been certified by the Financial Intelligence Authority for compliance. Our policies, including those for safeguarding, child protection, and protection from sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PSEAH), have been refined. We have also appointed gender and safety and security focal points.

“Ongoing mentorship by the Localisation Unit has ensured that we can meet donor expectations. As a result, YARID has become more competent in managing funds and reporting, thereby increasing our credibility and sustainability.”

A great deal remains to be done

Under the Grand Bargain between 50 of the biggest donors and aid providers worldwide we agreed to channel 25% of global humanitarian funding as directly as possible to local and national responders. This is with the recognition that moving resources to local actors will result in more timely, appropriate and effective outcomes for fulfilling children's rights. Within ECW’s 2023-2026 strategy, localisation was introduced as one of their five new priorities.

In addition, for L/NNGOs, youth groups and teacher organisations to be able to fully, equally and meaningfully participate in bodies such as ECW’s Executive Committee and the Global Partnership for Education’s board, more funding and resources need to be made available to facilitate this engagement, as well as funding more opportunities for in- person attendance at key global and regional meetings. 

There is still much more to be done to turn our commitments into action - and getting more funding into the hands of local partners is just one piece of the localisation puzzle. It’s vital that ECW and all partners continue to innovate, learn and share their experiences to pioneer change.