Beyond the buzzword: reflecting and ideating on decolonisation in practice

In recent years, decolonisation has taken center stage in global social impact conversations —from challenging eurocentric perspectives and centering local or indigenous voices, to reimagining aid as reparations and a means to create economic sovereignty. Across the world, communities are pushing back against centuries-old systems of extraction, inequity, and control.

But any progress here has taken a sharp U-turn. The global landscape of aid and international development has undergone seismic shifts. The abrupt dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has left a void in humanitarian assistance, disrupting programs worldwide and jeopardizing millions who rely on this support. ​

This upheaval creates an opportunity for us to critically examine the traditional paradigms of aid and development. Many of the institutions driving social change—whether in philanthropy, impact investing, or international aid—still operate within deeply entrenched colonial frameworks. This not only perpetuates dependency but also echoes colonial power dynamics, where external entities dictate the terms of progress.​

We must ask ourselves: Who holds the money? Who defines the problems? And who gets to decide what “solutions” look like? And how do we ensure that investment, aid, or projects don’t become just another form of economic colonialism?

Sherine Guirguis, Founder of Common Thread, a behavioural design consultancy specialised in global health, will talk about their approach to create people-centred solutions to complex public health challenges. Drawing from examples such as their “Call for Change” program in Kenya, which channeled funding to the local sub-national healthcare system, and their “decolonisation quiz” which prompts social impact and aid organisations and individuals to assess how colonised their mindsets and approaches are.

In this discussion, we will explore:
– Decolonizing Aid and Investment: Strategies for shifting from paternalistic models to participatory frameworks that empower local communities.​
– How to acknowledge and address biases: Our biases can be so ingrained that they become an unconscious and reflexive part of how we approach our work. We will discuss how we can apply a critical lens to evaluating our individual and organisational decolonial efforts.
– Innovative Funding Mechanisms: Exploring how impact investors can fill the gaps left by traditional aid, emphasizing equity, sustainability, and community ownership.​
– Navigating Political Realities: Assessing how the evolving political climate influences our sector and identifying resilient approaches to advance social and environmental goals amidst these changes. ​
– Shifting from Charity to Justice: How impact investors, philanthropists, and aid organizations can move away from top-down models toward community-driven decision-making.

Throughout this discussion, participants will be prompted to ask questions, share their thoughts, and discuss the challenges and considerations that arise when trying to change the way we implement health and development programmes. We will use highly participatory methods such as storytelling, fish bowl discussions and co-creation moments to tap into the collective wisdom of the group.