Select Page

Discussions of systemic racism and the need for decolonization of humanitarian aid existed before 2020, but the global BLM protests forced the sector to examine the issue in earnest. The report Time to Decolonise Aid is an excellent primer on the topic, providing a guide to the relevant terminology and history.

Traditional international humanitarian aid is structured in a way that echoes colonialism, with wealthy western countries from the global north controlling the funding and design of initiatives in economically less advantaged communities in the global south. It can be an emotionally difficult topic to address since the same colonialist structures often precipitated the very problems humanitarians seek to remedy. And for many humanitarians, being a good well-intentioned person is central to their identity, so admitting their own role in furthering inequality is personally challenging.

But if the aims of the international aid community are to be realized, then introspection is just one of many difficult things that must be done. Fortunately, the sector prides itself on doing difficult work, so I am hopeful.

 

Decolonization in Practice

There isn’t one single way to decolonize aid work, but there are a few generally agreed upon themes.

  • Changing the power structure through diverse leadership and decentralized decision making. Some organizations have moved toward a model that disperses authority throughout a global network of offices, while others have done away with the model of “in country” offices all together.
  • Changing the funding structure. Whether through cash grants or a reparations model, organizations like the Decolonizing Wealth Project, the Trust-Based Philanthropy Fund, Thousand Currents, and others are revolutionizing the way money moves to grassroots initiatives.
  • Having honest dialogue. Groups like Charity So White, Africa No Filter, The Racial Equity Index, PopWorks Africa, and Adeso are pushing the conversation forward and offering tools for undertaking decolonization.
  • Re-imagining international NGOs. In a post Covid world many are looking at how humanitarian aid needs to evolve for the future.
  • Not exactly the same concept, decolonization and localization are linked – as each requires the other to be successful.

Educate Yourself

As always, effective participation requires a solid understanding of the topic. Check out these compilations of information and resources: