Lorenz: Nirmala and Ferdinand, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. I can’t wait to hear about your experiences of localisation in a decolonisation context. What’s going well? And where is there still room for improvement?
Nirmala: FAIRMED officially got the project under way in Nepal in 2015 with a local country coordination operation. It’s been very well received by the authorities. I’ve been working with FAIRMED for ten years now and would say it’s an organisation that’s open and built on trust. The team at head office in Bern listens to what we have to say, trusts us to manage our affairs and lets us steer our programmes ourselves – from planning through to delivery and completion. We really feel that we’re equals rather than being dictated to “from on high”. All staff here on the ground are put to work locally, and the community personnel also come directly from the villages where we work. That’s vital for building grass-roots capacity – and it works.
Ferdinand: It’s exactly the same in Cameroon. Four things make me feel that FAIRMED is localised:
1. The team in Bern gets the country team involved in decision-making processes.
2. We’re in charge of project planning and delivery, with Bern supporting us kind of in the background.
3. The capacity of the team, partners and stakeholders is strengthened in a targeted way.
4. And we focus heavily on community-based approaches that encourage people to genuinely take responsibility.
Lorenz: Sounds good. But let’s take a step back – what does “localisation” or “decolonisation” mean for you personally?
Ferdinand: As far as I’m concerned, it means bringing about a tangible shift in power. Decisions, resources, responsibility and leadership roles – from international organisations to national actors and, if possible, further down to local communities. We want local management, local implementation. It has to be local people who set the framework. Their international partners give them support – but don’t tell them what to do.
Nirmala: Precisely. And I’d say that localisation also means really understanding the needs and contexts on the ground. Decisions made at grass-roots level are more realistic, more relevant – and much more likely to be accepted by the public and the authorities. That has a lasting impact.
Lorenz: Got it. But I take it that’s not always easy. What do you think are the biggest challenges?
Nirmala: Being really honest, the mindset. Government agencies, partner NGOs – sometimes even our own colleagues – are wary of decisions taken at local level. But as soon as they hear that the organisation’s management are on board, everything’s OK. That shows how much hinges on the trust of head office. If that’s in place, then localisation will work. If not, things are going to get tricky. So I’d say that principles like these need to be clearly embedded in the strategy and the organisation’s regulations – so it doesn’t all depend on individuals.
Ferdinand: Completely agree. One big question for me is “How do we actually measure how much decision-making power really is delegated?” Where does the influence from Bern stop and genuine local autonomy begin? Another problem is when donors require certain approaches to be taken but they don’t fit the local context. That often creates tension or a degree of conflict. And, as a basic principle, localisation and decolonisation don’t automatically tackle the imbalance of power at its roots. We’re shifting power, but the underlying structures often stay in place. And then language is another factor: terms like “localisation” and “decolonisation” are understood in completely different ways. And, unfortunately, many of these discussions are still mainly being held amongst partners from the Global North.
“Localisation and decolonisation don’t automatically tackle the imbalance of power at its roots. We’re shifting power, but the underlying structures often stay in place.”
Lorenz: Some strong points there. But what would you say are the main benefits?
Ferdinand: No doubt about it: you get more grass-roots expertise. People are supported and encouraged to be leaders. They feel respected and listened to. And we learn a great deal ourselves too – it’s a two-way process. What’s more, approaches that are adapted to the local culture are simply more effective.
Nirmala: I agree. As well as building skills, localisation also promotes dialogue between head office and the country teams. And, as far as head office is concerned, it’s an opportunity to rethink its own role – to be less of a control centre and more of a supporter.
Lorenz: What else would you like to see from FAIRMED?
Nirmala: It’d be good if head office were to really sit down and think about its own localisation efforts – and got us on the ground more closely involved. Maybe it’d be possible to identify some good examples, put them down in writing and apply them to other countries – adapted to the local context, of course.
Ferdinand: I’d say the same thing. It’d make sense to stop and think: what progress has FAIRMED made on localisation? How much scope for decision-making really lies with the countries or – taking it a step further – with the communities? We should also share our experiences more, both positive and negative ones. And, what’s really important, we need to look and see how we can exert influence at national level. Government structures are heavily centralised in many countries, which is often a barrier to real sustainability.
Lorenz: Thank you, both of you. This conversation has made it clear once again that localisation and decolonisation aren’t abstract concepts – they have a bearing on what we do every day. And we’ve still got a fair bit to do.
Our discussion and the marks that my two interviewees would give FAIRMED (6.5 and 8 out of 10) tell me that we are not doing badly, but there is still a lot to be done. The knowledge and the proximity offered by our employees who come from the countries and regions where our projects are based are a major benefit and a step towards sustainability. At the same time, we will continue to ponder how we can shift even more responsibility to the grass-roots level while sticking to our strategy and guaranteeing our customary quality across all countries. We will definitely be sitting down and thinking hard about all this, contributing to and learning from relevant NGO groups and considering the question of decentralised decision-making processes.
