Locally Led Development Initiatives: Stories from Around the World

Across the programs and opportunities enabled by the Locally Led Development Initiatives (LLDI), a myriad of stories highlight the power of locally led development. From fostering more equitable partnerships to catalyzing sustainable development outcomes, find some examples below. Explore the LLDI Newsletter Archive for more.

Local Works Stories

USAID's Local Works program supports Missions around the world to drive innovation and experimentation in locally led development.

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Burma: Three Locally-Led Approaches to Prevent Drug Use

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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)

A smiling woman pulls an octopus she fishes out of the water of the Pate Marine Community Conservancy in Lamu County, Kenya

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How is localization happening in Kenya, Burma, Nepal, Uganda, and Paraguay?

How USAID Is Making Localization Work in Serbia

A group of staff from USAID/Serbia and local partner Sokobanja Ecological Society sit around a table to discuss.

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USAID believes that sustainable development begins with local leadership and strong partnerships.

USAID-Peace Corps Partnership Stories

USAID and the Peace Corps partner to catalyze locally led development that addresses community priorities.

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Sustainable Progress Through Small Projects

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40 years of USAID and the Peace Corps partnering to cata

Dominican Republic: Scaling Up a Coffee Grower Cooperative

In the Dominican Republic, SPA supported a local coffee cooperative with the tools and training needed to scale up.

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A coffee grower cooperative, made up of over 80 farmers, faced a challenge: in the coffee market, opportunities for selling raw products in bulk are severely limited. They needed the equipment and training to process and market their materials to be more competitive.

Kosovo: Trainer of Trainers on Youth Engagement

In Kosovo, participants take part in the Youth Development Workshop.

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A Youth Development Workshop convened 25 community members, along with 25 Peace Corps Volunteers, to learn about the best ways and strategies to engage local youth populations.

Locally Led Development Research Stories and Updates

Diverse partners and USAID’s Locally Led Development Research team are generating evidence and learning to drive a more effective approach to locally led development.

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Perú: Las comunidades recopilan datos para llevar el cambio a casa

The neighborhood board in the Ayna community develops a “tree of dreams” with its vision for their community.

Peru: Communities Collect Data to Bring Change Home

The neighborhood board in the Ayna community develops a “tree of dreams” with its vision for their community.

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A USAID local partner, Management Sciences for Health (MSH) Peru was awarded an approximately $1.1 million fixed amount award in June 2022 by the Local, Faith, and Transformative (LFT) Hub within the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation  following a co-creation process.

USAID Commits $8.8 Million For Research to Advance Diverse, Locally Led Development

USAID Press Release

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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is proud to announce six new research and development awards, co-created by USAID’s Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships (LFT) Hub with a diverse range of local and traditionally underutilized partners, to support USAID’s commitment to locally led development. 

Unsolicited Solutions for Locally Led Development

Sustainable and locally driven ideas come from a diversity of organizations around the world. To ensure that these ideas have the opportunity to be considered, Unsolicited Solutions for Locally Led Development (US4LLD) sets aside a portion of its annual budget to provide USAID Missions with funding to support unsolicited applications that advance locally led development in any sector. 

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