A growing seed for localisation
In the push for genuine localisation of development efforts, a promising initiative is beginning to flourish in Uganda—the Shared Resource Center (SRC). Co-launched by Woord en Daad (Netherlands) and TUNADO (The Uganda National Apiculture Development Organisation), the SRC is part of the wider LEAD programme funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At its core, the SRC is about shifting power and responsibilities to Ugandan NGOs and sharing resources—practically. Instead of each organisation independently navigating donor compliance, proposal development, finance management, or policy influence, partner NGOs share these capabilities. Crucially, participants are not clients, but co-owners, sitting in governance roles and helping drive strategic direction. The SRC is legally registered in Uganda as a company limited by guarantee – a not for profit legal form similar to a community based organisation (CBO). It is locally managed, and designed to function as a social enterprise.
A practical step toward localisation
The SRC officially began operations in July 2025, with its founding members drawn from the LEAD programme’s partner network. From its third year onward, the SRC will open to other Ugandan NGOs that share its mission and are ready to invest in shared ownership, governance, and fee-based support.
The model builds on previous experience and a proven approach piloted in West Africa under the Benkadi programme, where a similar Shared Resource Center structure successfully enhanced local partners’ capacity, improved donor compliance, and fostered stronger collaboration across organisations. Lessons learned from Benkadi have informed the SRC’s governance, cost-sharing mechanisms, and service design in Uganda.
Operating on a mixed-revenue model—combining membership fees with service contracts—the SRC aims to provide sustainable, high-quality support without dependence on Northern intermediaries.
Partner reflections: Why the SRC matters
The SRC’s model is not just a structural innovation—it’s a mindset shift. Feedback from early participants illustrates its potential.
“The SRC offers something long overdue. For YARID, a refugee-led organisation, the idea of a shared hub that provides tailored technical support, compliance services, and capacity building felt necessary. It signals a shift from fragmented and short-term support to something more structured and sustainable, grounded in the actual needs of national actors.” — YARID
For YARID, donor expectations—especially around reporting, safeguarding, and compliance—are a growing challenge.
“Shared MEL specialists, finance advisors, or grant writers can enhance quality and consistency without duplicating resources. In the long term, this strengthens credibility, attracts more diverse funding, and builds stronger internal systems.” — YARID
CEFORD, the Community Empowerment for Rural Development organisation, based in northern Uganda, emphasises the efficiency and equity of the model:
“The shared resource model emphasizes joint ownership of resources and risks, fostering a more collaborative and equitable partnership. It’s about identifying and leveraging each partner’s strengths to achieve common goals, ensuring all benefit from the collaboration.” — CEFORD
A different kind of partnership
Both organisations point to a break from traditional INGO-partner dynamics, where local actors often remain dependent.
“Traditional models often frame local organisations as implementers, not innovators. The SRC changes this. It fosters peer learning and shared ownership rather than oversight and control.” — YARID
“In contrast to hierarchical relationships, the SRC recognizes the need to co-create together as INGO and NNGO, sharing responsibility for resource allocation and risk management.” — CEFORD
Localisation in practice
For localisation to work in Uganda, partners stress that rhetoric must be matched with structural change.
“Localisation means shifting not just funding, but decision-making power and structural support to local actors—including refugee-led organisations as legitimate development actors.” — YARID
CEFORD highlights the need for:
- Equitable partnerships based on mutual respect and joint accountability.
- Investment in capacity—financial, technical, and organisational.
- Active community involvement in design and implementation.
- Direct funding to national organisations.
- Transparent systems for resource management.
- Diverse funding sources for sustainability.
- Local leadership development to sustain impact beyond project timelines.
Looking ahead: Five-year vision
Both YARID and CEFORD see the SRC as a future hub for innovation, collaboration, and sustainability.
“A vibrant space for learning, innovation, and solidarity across Uganda’s localisation movement… a model for other settings, proof that investing in local leadership leads to lasting impact.” — YARID
“A thriving hub for knowledge and collaboration… adapting to changing contexts, offering training, networking, and a culture of lifelong learning.” — CEFORD
Collaboration, not competition
In a competitive funding climate, collaboration can feel like a luxury. But the SRC is proving that shared infrastructure actually increases each organisation’s capacity to deliver results, meet donor expectations, and stay mission-driven. It also frees up space for what really matters—serving communities with quality, integrity, and contextual knowledge.
This is localisation in action—not just rhetoric. The SRC is growing step by step, but it already shows what can happen when trust is built, ownership is shared, and Northern actors take a step back to let local leadership flourish.
In a competitive funding climate, the SRC’s shared infrastructure approach reduces duplication, raises collective capacity, and keeps community-driven change at the centre. It is still early days, but partner voices suggest the SRC is more than a resource hub—it’s a platform for rebalancing relationships in development and proving that localisation works when it’s built on trust, equity, and shared ownership.
What we’re learning
One insight from this journey so far: localisation doesn’t require grand reinventions—it needs practical, systemic changes. Legal structures. Governance processes. Fair cost-sharing. And the patience to grow together, not just deliver outputs.
Another lesson emerging is the power of collective advocacy. The SRC provides a unit through which lobby and policy engagement with government can take place on behalf of many partner NGOs. Instead of each organisation advocating independently—often at high cost and with greater exposure—the SRC represents a collective voice. This both reduces duplication and strengthens protection, as individual NGOs are less vulnerable to being singled out, while their shared concerns are amplified.
In Uganda, a seed has been planted. We look forward to sharing what grows.
How the SRC works
The Shared Resource Center operates as a co-owned service hub for Ugandan NGOs, offering technical expertise, compliance support, and capacity development under a shared governance structure. Its model combines membership fees with service contracts, ensuring financial sustainability while keeping decision-making in local hands. Services can include financial management support, MEL (monitoring, evaluation, and learning), grant writing, policy advocacy, and access to shared assets such as specialised equipment or meeting facilities.
For more information, contact: leaduganda@woordendaad.nl
