About

Local to Global Protection works to change the humanitarian system, pushing for meaningful localisation through documenting and promoting local perspectives and responses to protection in major humanitarian crises. L2GP was founded in 2009 with research into community responses to crisis. This research provides the foundation for the survivor and community-led crisis response approach, and L2GP partners with a variety of international, national and local organisations to implement this approach in humanitarian contexts around the world.

Sclr and community-led initiatives around the world are supported by our evolving network of sclr Hubs. These communities of practice meet regularly to exchange best practice and peer learning between sclr practitioners, and to support NGOs and community organisations through training in sclr and other community-led methods.

L2GP has conducted community-oriented action research in Burma/Myanmar, Kenya the occupied Palestinian territories, the Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan and Zimbabwe, among others. These studies explore the experiences of people faced with threats and challenges to their protection and survival during crises such as armed conflict, protracted socio-political crises and natural disasters.

Taking a step back, L2GP’s research into The Humanitarian Economy investigates how humanitarian funding flows through the system and test how commitments to localisation are born out in practice. Looking at funding to local and national NGOs as well as representation of local actors in coordination bodies, this project holds international organisations, governments and donors to account for their progress against their promises.

Our research is conducted in close collaboration between international and national researchers, and findings are confirmed in country before publication.

Research

L2GP has conducted community-oriented action research in Burma/Myanmar, Kenya the occupied Palestinian territories, the Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan and Zimbabwe, among others. These studies explore the experiences of people faced with threats and challenges to their protection and survival during crises such as armed conflict, protracted socio-political crises and natural disasters.

Taking a step back, L2GP’s research into The Humanitarian Economy investigates how humanitarian funding flows through the system and test how commitments to localisation are born out in practice. Looking at funding to local and national NGOs as well as representation of local actors in coordination bodies, this project holds international organisations, governments and donors to account for their progress against their promises.

Our research is conducted in close collaboration between international and national researchers, and findings are confirmed in country before publication.

L2GP has developed the survivor and community-led crisis response approach from the findings of the studies and other experience with citizen and community-led responses in a number of different contexts.

This approach focuses on transferring power and agency from international donors and aid organisations to individuals, groups and communities affected by crisis. This approach has been successfully implemented in a range of contexts in partnership with a wide range of local, national and international organisations. You can read about our findings and reflections here.


For more about how to implement sclr in your own context please see the Training section.

Training

L2GP has developed the survivor and community-led crisis response approach from the findings of the studies and other experience with citizen and community-led responses in a number of different contexts.

This approach focuses on transferring power and agency from international donors and aid organisations to individuals, groups and communities affected by crisis. This approach has been successfully implemented in a range of contexts in partnership with a wide range of local, national and international organisations. You can read about our findings and reflections here.

For more about how to implement sclr in your own context please see the Training section.

Who are we?

Local to Global Protection is an initiative by aid workers and activists with a variety of backgrounds in humanitarian response. Our core commitment is the meaningful transfer of power and agency to local and national actors in crisis. To achieve this, we work with and try to influence organisations and individuals at all levels of the humanitarian system, as well as learning and policy institutions. L2GP is hosted and supported by DanChurchAid, Act Church of Sweden and Christian Aid but works as an independent and open-source collective. L2GP also receives financial support Danida.

Local and national organisations

Local and national actors have been central both to conducting research and developing the sclr approach. These are some of the organisations we have worked with developing and implementing sclr.
Central African Republic: Association Uru
Democratic Republic of the Congo: NPYCP
Haiti: GADEL, KORAL, ATEPASE, ACDED, SCH, SJM
Kenya: IREMO, PACIDA, CIFA
Mali: AJCAD
Myanmar: KMSS, Ta’ang Student Youth Union, KBC, Kyaung Htar Mikhin, Paung Ku, CBS, GLAD, DEAR
oPt: East Jerusalem YMCA, MAAN Development Centre, Culture and Free Thought Association
The Philippines: ECOWEB, ASDSW, PDRRN, PHILRADS, CODE-NGO
Sudan: KODI, NRRDO, AYAM Centre, Youth Forum, Women Wings

International Agencies and think-tanks:

We have also enjoyed close collaboration and support from:

Christian Aid, DanChurchAid, Act Church of Sweden, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, the ACT Alliance, PeaceDirect, Saferworld, ReflAction, ODI HPG, Kings College London and Academy for Humanitarian Action (AHA)

Us:

L2GP has worked with a wide range of colleagues across many organisations over the years. Some of the individuals currently associated with the L2GP initiative and the development of sclr are:

Emma Pritchard

Emma works in human rights, communications and research, when she is not supporting L2GP with communications she works to improve the representation of marginalised voices and in peacebuilding and human rights.

Justin Corbett

Justin has over 35 years experience working in aid to support participatory responses to crises. He feels a deep unease with the current disempowering norms of humanitarian and protection programming while being inspired by what local people can achieve when given the support.

Mai Sabi Jarrar

East Jerusalem YMCA

Mai leads the Women’s Development Program at the East Jerusalem YMCA, and teams up with L2GP to promote sclr approaches that put women, men, and youth in the driver’s seat of development.

Mandeep Mudhar

Mandeep supports L2GP with its research and practice around sclr; she also focuses on humanitarian and resilience programming and strategy. Mandeep also works with individuals as a transformation coach.

Nadja Sørelvmo

DCA/NCA Palestine

Nadja is coordinator of the regional sclr MENA hub. She believes there’s a need to restructure the sector, and that this work begins with transferring power and resources from large international institutions to local communities directly affected by crisis and conflict.

Nils Carstensen

L2Gp & DanChurchAid

Nils has been part of L2GP since it was just an idea evolving out chats in tea shops and cafes. He has a background in humanitarian aid, research, journalism, photography, and filmmaking. His ambition is to shift power, money and decision-making from big institutions and governments to local people and communities.

Regina “Nanette” Salvador-Antequisa

Ecosystems Work for Essential Benefits, Inc. (ECOWEB)

Nanette is Executive Director of ECOWEB and Convenor of Community-led Emergency Action Response Network (CLEARNet) promoting sclr in The Philippines. She actively advocates for localisation with A4EP and through Charter for Change and has been in development, peace, humanitarian and resilience work for about 30 years.

Sagal Hussein

Adeso

Sagal is coordinator of the regional sclr East Africa Hub. Sagal is a forward-thinking action-oriented learning and development leader who prioritizes resource management, design thinking, and data analysis to champion risk-taking and meaningful impact.

Samy Usaci

Santé et Developpement

Samy has been working in the DRC for 10 years in the humanitarian field for SANTE ET DEVELOPPEMENT (SAD), by bringing smiles to people in crisis situations.
Coordinator and initiator of CoP RDC, Samy is one of the pioneers of the sclr approach in South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has been appointed by the DRC’s national NGO platform, CONAFOHD, as an sclr expert.

Shahnaz Jubran

DCA / NCA Office, Palestine

Shahnaz is the Head of Programmes for the DCA/NCA Palestine office working to defend the rights of Palestinians under international law, ensure access to livihoods and enable communities to withstand and recover from shocks and live dignified lives.

Simone di Vicenz

Christian Aid

Simone is passionate about empowering processes that put people at the centre. He leads sclr programmes, learning pieces and co-design workshops. He believes that working collaboratively, putting aside labels and logos, and listening humbly is the only way to support the most marginalised people across the world.

Ylva Blondel

Act Church of Sweden

Ylva believes in the strength of the human spirit and local ingenuity. She has over 20 years experience in aid, incl. 12 with the UN, and is passionate about finding ways to change and leverage international decision-making to empower and include marginalized communities. She is a proud newcomer to L2GP and artist who loves to observe and analyse stuff (PhD).

Get in touch

For further information on L2GP, survivor and community-led crisis response and research into individual and community responses to crisis please get in touch.

Registered office:

Meldahlsgade 3
Copenhagen, 1613
Denmark