Local knowledge has long been the primary source of wisdom for many of us working in feminist movements around the world. The awareness that local knowledge is the best starting point has received more attention recently in the global discussions on localization and decolonization of international development. It also came into clear focus for me more personally, when in 2020, six months into the COVID pandemic, the 3D Program team decided to transfer ownership of the program from our team based at the United Nations Foundation in Washington DC to our partners in India.
The 3D Program for Girls and Women advances gender equality and girls and women’s empowerment by helping local governments work with civil society and the private sector, while strengthening women’s voices and platforms to hold government accountable. Originally positioned as a gender equality program, it evolved into a good governance program, linking women’s collectives to local government and creating mechanisms to increase accountability. We relied on girls and women to identify their own priorities, but our work generally covered four main issues related to gender equality: economic empowerment, health, education and public safety.
From 2017-2021, the 3D Program worked in partnership with civil society, the private sector and local government officials in Pune District, Maharashtra State, India. Operationally, we worked in a fairly typical way, like many international NGOs. Our Washington DC-based team led strategy, facilitated connections within and beyond India, and provided funding and interfaced with donors. We convened a consortium of partners in Pune District, Maharashtra who provided strategic advice and ground-truthing and led implementation in our demonstration sites of rural Pune District and Pune city. We also relied on guidance and support from our 3D Program Advisory Committee, made up of experts from across India and various disciplines, and our hosts at the United Nations Foundation. We were a program that evolved over time but we consistently put women’s voices at the center. The DC-based team worked closely with our partners in India through consistent online communications, and before COVID, we traveled to India three times a year to facilitate regular in-person interactions with our partners, local government officials, women’s collectives and other stakeholders.
This blog is part of CDA’s From Where I Stand series, designed to listen to people most affected by aid as they explore and amplify their leadership experiences, stories, and lessons for the aid sector.
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