Local partners and engaged communities are critical to sustainable development outcomes. At Blumont, our approach to effective programming goes beyond addressing immediate challenges; it focuses on strengthening local capacity and building resilience for the future. We aim to contribute to the prevention, mitigation, and recovery from crises in a manner that reflects our people-first values.
Local leadership, community engagement, and equitable partnerships are at the heart of our approach. We are intentional about our interactions with partners, so we regularly check in about their roles as equal decision-makers and key experts. Our collaborations with local organizations and communities ensure that our work respects the agency, privacy, and dignity of the people we serve and partner with.
Communities members, with an emphasis on women, were encouraged to join school management committees in Sindh, Pakistan. The Community Mobilization Program aimed to increase local engagement and women’s participation in school affairs.
Local engagement for education solutions in Pakistan
In Pakistan, the USAID-funded Community Mobilization Program aimed to engage communities in Sindh in local school management and encourage enrollment in public schools. We worked alongside community members to address their needs and empower them to lead school management going forward. Meanwhile, we coordinated with the national government on policy reform and best practices. These collaborations allowed for sustainable development of the education landscape while working with local stakeholders.
Mutually beneficial partnerships in Colombia
Collaborating with local partners in Colombia helped us reach Venezuelan migrants in need more effectively. The Acogida program, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, partnered with three local organizations to extend our impact while supporting each organization’s initiatives and ambitions. Each partner identified areas of growth, such as financial management, and worked with us over the span of one to two years to build those capacities. “The partnership with Blumont helped us focus and choose our goals,” said Pilín León, president of Venezolanos en Barranquilla.
We also ensure that our partnerships are risk-free for local organizations. Our agreements are based on program milestones so partners can feel directly compensated for their work. “Our approach to funding local organizations builds their capacity after the award and ensures that costs are covered sufficiently so that they can thrive in the future,” said Juan Pablo Franco, Blumont’s Country Director in Colombia.
Patrulla Aérea Civil Colombiana, one of our local partners under the Acogida program in Colombia, organized medical campaigns to provide free healthcare to the vulnerable communities with whom we worked.
Awarding grants to local organizations in Syria
Grants to local authorities in northeast Syria are contributing to stronger, more resilient communities. The Essential Services, Good Governance, and Economic Recovery program (part of the Building Resilient and Inclusive Communities in Conflict (BRICC) IDIQ), funded by USAID, issues small grants to help local governance and civil society organizations working in Syria target community needs. Grants, designed to strengthen inclusive, accountable, and transparent governance, have helped officials improve access to essential services and are now helping officials support Syrians returning from displacement. A capacity development grant to the Raqqa Civil Council Social Affairs and Labor Committee allowed local officials to hold coordination meetings with NGOs providing services to returning families, including health and livelihood activities. The local authority was also able to assess their existing capacity and develop a technical assistance action plan to improve their ability to support returnees.
Supporting a local response and bridging relationships in Pakistan
Our role as a subcontractor on the HumAhang program is designed to support the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI), a Pakistani organization, during the first years of the program. CPDI is collaborating with two regions in Pakistan to strengthen governance and peace initiatives. As a longtime USAID contractor, Blumont assists CPDI in building their internal systems and shares best practices for direct assistance awards with USAID.
