Local Coalition Accelerator
Local communities must be at the center of program design and implementation.
The Local Coalition Accelerator (LCA) is an initiative of the Share Trust and the Warande Advisory Centre in Kenya that leverages, partners with and amplifies existing localization efforts to support coalitions of Local and National Organizations (LNOs) partnering with SHGs and other group-based models as they co-design and implement holistic, evidence-based programming at scale to address systemic, multi-sectoral problems.
Up until now, very little financing or structured technical support have been directly provided to local communities—and those who most proximately serve them—to build their long-term capacity and reach their potential. Community voices must be at the table to decide on matters that concern them and their futures, and yet few have been given the opportunity to do so. To address this systemic issue, we are working alongside local actors, governments and private philanthropy to shift power, process and funding so that communities can effectively drive, design and implement the change they want to see for themselves.
Shifting power, process and funding
The LCA’s mission is to support LNOs to lead in the design and execution of large-scale systems change, and directly access the significant bilateral and multi-lateral financing (93% of ODA) that is currently channeled almost exclusively to and through UN or INGO vehicles. The platform aims to build the infrastructure to shift greater funding, resources and power to local actors, so they can drive their own development priorities, while also changing donor processes and systems to be more equipped to accompany and complement community driven initiatives. The LCA model is currently being implemented in Uganda, Bangladesh and Nigeria.
“This is a coalition of local partners that understands the context of the communities they serve. This coalition gives us a combined front to mobilise for resources, grow and tap into the different expertise of each partner team.”
- LCA Uganda Member
Uganda: LCA Uganda
LCA Uganda is a coalition of 14 LNOs designing and implementing development and humanitarian actions that meet the livelihoods, education, health and protection needs of the most marginalized populations of Kampala.
The vision of LCA Uganda is to work together to pilot and test coordinated, layered approaches to service delivery, develop a holistic systems-change strategy that will enable the coalition to create a new paradigm for sustainable, locally designed and locally led development, and position the group for sustainable bilateral financing.
Bangladesh: Sundarban Coalition
A coalition of 16 LNOs in coastal Bangladesh are building disaster resilient communities in the Sundarbans, an area particularly vulnerable to climate-related crises. The Sundarban Coalition is working across four coastal districts to support their communities to cope, adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change, prioritizing after extensive community consultation the development of climate resilient infrastructure, long-term livelihoods and WASH and SRHR access.
This coalition is the result of a partnership between the LCA and the Start Fund Bangladesh, a local hub of the Start Network.
The Sundarban Coalition coordinated an emergency response when Cyclone Sitrang made landfall in October 2022, mobilizing volunteers to evacuate the most vulnerable, monitoring weather forecasts and risk, and providing critical services to people in shelters. Despite the fact that they were still in the early planning phases of coalition formation, they leveraged the brand new coalition structure and relationships to organize a successful collective response.
Nigeria: Adamawa Coalition
Local actors operating in Adamawa are working together to strengthen community resilience in the face of the persisting humanitarian crisis in North East Nigeria. The 9 coalition members are addressing vulnerabilities around climate change and regional insecurity and serve a significant number of the hardest to reach and most marginalized populations such as internally displaced persons and persons living with disabilities.,
Technical support to the coalition is being provided by the central LCA team in partnership with PLRCAP, an initiative of the Nigeria INGO Forum.