Working with USAID Missions to drive innovation and experimentation in locally led development.
USAID’s Local Works program has been at the forefront of locally led development since 2015.
In countries around the world, Local Works seeks to empower local actors to lead their own development, helping to shift USAID’s role to be a catalyst for local change efforts and processes.
More time and greater freedom to pursue locally led programming: USAID Missions apply for the program’s five-year, multi-sectoral funds and tailored technical support through an annual competition. Resources, tools, and opportunities enable USAID Missions to try new development approaches that are more flexible, locally responsive, and locally sustainable, while facilitating learning that benefits the entire Agency.
Where We Work
There are 35 Missions with Local Works programs in all five regions where USAID works:
Africa
Local Works is supporting locally led development in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Eswatini, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sahel Regional, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, West Africa Regional, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Local Works is supporting locally led development in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, and Paraguay.
Asia
Local Works is supporting locally led development in Bangladesh, Burma, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka/Maldives, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam.
Europe and Eurasia
Local Works is supporting locally led development in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
Local Works Map
- Click the map to learn more about LLDI programming around the world. For Local Works, select “Local Works'' under the All Programs filter.
- Click here for an accessible PDF version of the map.
How the Program Works
A Congressionally-directed program, Local Works enables select USAID Missions to drive innovation and learning in locally led development. Looking towards a future where local actors lead their own development, six principles ground all aspects of Local Works programming:
Local Works Stories from Around the World
Burma: Three Locally-Led Approaches to Prevent Drug Use
For over two decades one of USAID’s local partners in Burma, has operated a charity clinic in Burma’s Kachin State, an ethnic state that borders China. In this region, a heroin epidemic rages.
5 Stories of Localization in Action (Medium)
How USAID Is Making Localization Work in Serbia
USAID believes that sustainable development begins with local leadership and strong partnerships.
Armenia: A Locally Led Pivot to Provide Rapid Support for Displaced Armenians
Through the Local Works program, USAID was partnering with two local organizations in Armenia to support vulnerable populations.
Key Resources
Locally Led Development Spectrum and Checklist Tool: Locally led development is not a single approach, but a range of ways to shift agenda-setting and decision-making power into the hands of local actors. USAID considers this as a spectrum of locally led development approaches.
Participatory Evaluation Guidance Note: Local stakeholders take the lead in all aspects of locally led development processes. This note offers practical guidance and examples to help USAID and its evaluation partners design and carry out evaluations in more participatory, locally led ways.
Local Resource Mobilization: A Case Study from USAID/Serbia Local Works: Find out how partners of USAID’s Local Works program in Serbia effectively mobilize local resources - including money, but also people, their skills and knowledge, physical space, and other assets - in support of development outcomes.
Measuring Organizational Performance Improvement: Perspectives from USAID Mission Staff: Measuring the effectiveness of local capacity strengthening efforts is key to tracking USAID’s progress towards reaching long-term development outcomes. This blog explores key lessons from how USAID Missions are measuring performance improvement.
Local Works Legislation: Read the legislation enacted by Congress that launched the Local Works program in 2015.