Humanity United has handed over decision-making for a specific set of grants to five migrant worker leaders, using an approach known as participatory grantmaking. The plan aims to allocate funds in a way that better meets the needs of grassroots organizations.
Also in today’s edition: We look at the role camels can play in empowering women, and how foreign aid to Georgia is under the gun.
Power sharing
A few months back, five migrant worker leaders from four countries met in Nairobi, Kenya, with staff from Humanity United, a U.S.-based organization supported by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife, Pam. The leaders had developed a grantmaking strategy to allocate funds to improve the lives of migrant workers in Gulf countries.
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It was a bit of an experiment, writes Devex Senior Reporter Sara Jerving, and was part of Humanity United's shift toward participatory grantmaking, which gives decision-making power to those directly affected, rather than just consulting them.
The initiative is one of two programs within the organization taking this approach — the other is focused on racial justice and equity in three U.S. cities – and the idea is to create a template for this type of work, and if successful, to increase the amount of grant funding dispersed this way.
But there also can be some resistance, writes Sara.
“Philanthropy holds a lot of money and with that money comes a lot of power,” says Vijay Simhan, director of forced labor and human trafficking at Humanity United. “This is essentially a process where we are ceding that and that’s hard for people to do.”
Migrant workers, mainly from Asia and Africa, move to the Gulf for jobs but often face exploitation, such as withheld wages and recruitment debts. One participant in the grantmaking process, a migrant worker, described earning $185 a month and repaying $2,600 in recruitment fees, despite holding a university degree.
The steering committee, consisting of leaders from Nepal, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and the Philippines, worked for over a year to develop their strategy. They allocated $600,000 to 19 organizations in April, with Humanity United planning to potentially increase the amount of grants allocated in this way to $2 million in the future. These funds will be used to promote labor rights, hold recruiters accountable, and empower workers to advocate for themselves.
But the jury is still out on how effective participatory grantmaking is compared to traditional methods, with experts saying there’s a need for more research.
Read: One philanthropy’s efforts to make grantmaking participatory (Pro)
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Hump day
As droughts in the Horn of Africa devastate traditional cattle herds, some are turning to camels as a more sustainable alternative. They thrive in arid climates, produce more milk, and require less water than cows. In Modika, a village in eastern Kenya, Leila Abdullahi sells around 70 liters of camel milk daily, earning enough to cover her family’s needs.
Abdullahi is part of a $15.9 million initiative funded by the Swiss government and run by Mercy Corps, aimed at connecting camel herders in desert areas with markets that can sell their products to average consumers. The goal: Creating sustainable, climate-resilient livelihoods for 540,000 pastoralists in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia.
The program equips its participants — half of whom are women — with business skills and market access, writes David Njagi for Devex. Those women are gaining market control in a society where they were traditionally housewives, and plans to produce camel milk powder could further expand their opportunities.
The Horn of Africa, home to 60% of the world’s camels, is a major producer of camel milk and meat. Camels’ ability to survive in harsh climates and their lower greenhouse gas emissions have led the United Nations to declare 2024 the International Year of Camelids, highlighting their role in supporting pastoralist communities.
Women like Abdullahi are crucial in addressing food insecurity in the region, where over 40% of the population is undernourished. But there are still barriers to the camel milk trade, including lack of research into diseases such as Rift Valley fever and the Camel Unknown Disease, which could potentially jump to humans one day.
Read: Amid climate change in the Horn of Africa, camels pose an opportunity
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Not such EPIC proportions
A new $1.5 million fund has been established to provide 10 grants for air pollution monitors in countries with limited air quality data. The EPIC Air Quality Fund — launched by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago with a grant from Open Philanthropy — aims to support local organizations to install air quality monitors and make data publicly available.
While the initiative is welcome, some are surprised there isn’t more government money — it’s a pretty significant health and climate issue, after all.
Air pollution “has a much stronger impact on life expectancy than HIV or malaria so there should be a lot more attention on it,” says Achim Haug, founder of Airgradient, a Thailand-based air quality monitoring company.
Air pollution kills over 7 million people annually from diseases like lung cancer, respiratory infection, and cardiovascular disease — more than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. Yet, unlike these diseases, air pollution lacks substantial global funding, writes Rebecca Root for Devex. Only 1% of international development funding and 2% of public climate finance were dedicated to air pollution between 2015 and 2021.
The EPIC Air Quality Fund wants to expand access to air quality data for 1 billion people in underserved regions by 2030. “You can’t mitigate what you can’t measure,” says Bhupesh Adhikary, senior air quality specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. But establishing a robust system to monitor pollution levels and the impacts costs money, which is hard to find, he explains.
Although there is hope as more governments recognize the climate-health connection, experts suggest reallocating existing climate and development funds to include air quality initiatives.
Read: Deadly issue of air pollution needs attention — and money, experts warn
Freeze up
The U.S. paused over $95 million in foreign aid to Georgia following the country’s decision to require NGOs, journalists, and activists receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents.”
“The [Georgian] population wants an open society. They want a democratic country. And their current leaders are moving them in the wrong direction,” U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told my colleague Elissa Miolene recently. “This is a clear demonstration that we won’t just say, it’s okay, drift towards Russia and our relationship won’t change. It will change.”
The suspension includes USAID assistance benefiting the Georgian government, although exact details remain unclear. USAID, which has invested $6 billion in Georgia since 1992, will redirect funds to support the Georgian people directly, including students, businesses, civil society, and independent media.
The controversial “foreign agents” law, requiring organizations with more than 20% foreign funding to register as agents of a foreign power, has sparked national protests and international condemnation. Critics, including U.S. and EU officials, view it as a “Kremlin-style” law that undermines civil society and jeopardizes Georgia’s chances of joining the EU.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the aid suspension, emphasizing support will continue only for programs promoting democracy, rule of law, independent media, and economic development. “We will review our relationship based on Georgia’s actions,” Blinken stated, signaling potential long-term changes in U.S.-Georgia relations.
Read: US pauses $95M of foreign aid to Georgia after ‘foreign agents’ law (Pro)
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In other news
U.S. President Joe Biden pushed for the construction of a temporary pier to deliver aid to Gaza earlier this year despite concern from USAID staffers. [AP via NPR]
The European Union will allocate an additional €122 million in aid for the Greater Horn of Africa to address conflict and climate issues in the region. [EU Reporter]
The Rockefeller Foundation announced Tuesday it will open a regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Colombia. [The Rockefeller Foundation]
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About the author
Helen Murphy
Helen is an award-winning journalist and Senior Editor at Devex, where she edits coverage on global development in the Americas. Based in Colombia, she previously covered war, politics, financial markets, and general news for Reuters, where she headed the bureau, and for Bloomberg in Colombia and Argentina, where she witnessed the financial meltdown. She started her career in London as a reporter for Euromoney Publications before moving to Hong Kong to work for a daily newspaper.
