WokeOnPaperWhen NGOs Become Implementers
Someone else sets the path. NGOs are asked to walk it and call it innovation.
The social sector often speaks about innovation and local solutions. Yet many organisations depend on funding structures that define the problem, the model, the targets and the reporting requirements before implementation begins.
That can reduce organisations to implementers of decisions made elsewhere. People with limited field experience may end up designing standardised approaches for highly different contexts.
Implementation is not just execution. It produces knowledge about what works, what fails and why. Strong development systems should value that knowledge instead of treating local organisations as delivery partners with little influence over direction.
