It’s time to let communities set the agenda for change.
Shifting the Paradigm
Solving complex social problems starts at the grassroots. SHOFCO puts urban settlement residents at the center of our model, because community trust and agenda-setting are essential to unlocking solutions that work.
We therefore believe Governments and the development sector must prioritize the decisions of communities themselves, to drive transformational change.
Nurse administering medicine to children at a SHOFCO clinic.
SHOFCO encourages governments and policy leaders to partner with, listen to, and scale up community-led solutions. In addition, we support immediate shifts in resources and financing towards community-led solutions, moving towards a new development paradigm that promotes racial equity and recognizes deep-rooted community trust as the most powerful tool to deliver impact.
SUN Officials Election in Kibera, Nairobi.
The challenges are systematic:
- Less than 1% of the $150 billion in Official Development Assistance in 2018 reached local development actors.
- Unrestricted net assets of black-led organizations are 76% smaller than their white-led counterparts (Echoing Green and Bridgespan)
- Only 11% of philanthropic “big bets” went to organizations led by people of color between 2010-2014.
SHOFCO is shifting the development paradigm by:
Demonstrating a blueprint for community-led development through our SHOFCO Urban Network (SUN) organizing platform, and advocating for government and other stakeholders to partner with SUN.
Decolonizing philanthropy and confronting the racial disparities that prevent leaders of color from accessing equitable funding, recognition, and advancement opportunities.
Shining a spotlight on the power of grassroots solutions by launching the inaugural World Communities Forum and developing a Global Alliance for Communities.
To learn more about prioritizing community-led development solutions and join the movement, register for the World Communities Forum, March 23-24, 2021. See the World Communities Forum Press Release.
To learn more, see recent opinions and editorials page (Op-Eds) articles by Kennedy Odede:
- Guardian Op-ed titled “Closing the race gap in philanthropy demands radical candour” September 2020
- Guardian Op-ed titled “I spent 21 years of my life angry before I realised we in the slums must lead change” August 2019
- New York Times Op-ed titled “In Kenya, Will the Peace Hold?” September 2017
- New York Times Op-ed titled “Terrorism’s Fertile Ground” January 2014
- New York Times Op-ed titled “Slumdog Tourism” August 2010
What are People Saying ?
“SHOFCO is a remarkable example of citizen-led change, created by people living in very challenging conditions. As Africa and the world urbanize and more informal settlements are created, SHOFCO provides an inspiring example of local creativity and solutions.”
~ Conrad N. Hilton, Foundation President and CEO Peter Laugharn, announcing the award of the 2018 Hilton Humanitarian Prize to SHOFCO.
SHOFCO exemplifies a global model of community-led transformation that Bridgespan research identifies as “the most ambitious, comprehensive, and integrated” among over 10 such organizations worldwide.