Providing grassroots Global South organisations active in promoting human rights of vulnerabilised children, adolescents, and youth with financial and institutional support
Contributing to understanding the issues affecting the most vulnerabilised populations by supporting empirical research carried out by our partners in the Global South.
Lead with a lens to decolonise international aid by strengthening the autonomy of partner organisations we support in the Global South.
Cultivating and maintaining trusting relationships based on horizontality with our Global South partners.
Supporting the work of our partners by providing sufficient flexible financial support which unlocks their true potential. Our unrestricted funding allows our partners room to adapt and the possibility of implementing relevant and realistic medium- and long-term strategies.
We accompany our partners’ activities by offering institutional support, both remotely and in the field.
We support research and evaluation work carried out by our partners by providing technical accompaniment, particularly in terms of designing studies, analysing data, and crafting research reports.
We commit to facilitating and guaranteeing the autonomy and decision-making power of our Global South partners.
After having spent several years working with grassroots organisations in Uganda and Peru, we recognized a major challenge for Global South organisations struggling to access steady core funding. This means basic administrative funding that is necessary to build and maintain organizational health is consistently lacking and detrimental to developing and implementing functional initiatives. This situation makes local organisations dependent on the will of traditional donor constraints, limiting their ability to adapt to the dynamic contexts in which they operate and complicating the medium-term management of human resources. In the spirit of decolonizing international aid, we want to make the most out of the close bonds of trust that have been cultivated with our local partners to offer them the maximum autonomy and greater freedom in the use of Zodongo’s resources. We are convinced that local organisations are in a better position to identify their own needs and to adapt their operations to local realities since they are embedded within the communities they serve.
Covering fixed operational costs is a necessity that forces local organisations to navigate the complex world of financial requirements imposed by different funders. By giving our partners greater freedom and flexibility to choose where to use our funding, while keeping close follow-up with them, our aim is to really give them the power they need to help working children and young people, whether or not they depend on the streets to survive.
Our local partners were selected based on the strong bonds developed with them by Zodongo’s founders and the trust we have established with these particular organisations. We are convinced that Hashtag Gulu and MANTHOC are accomplishing much-needed work to restore the dignity and basic human rights of vulnerabilised children and youth in Uganda and Peru. By supporting these partners, Zodongo is contributing to the vital collective effort to create a world where no child has to depend on the streets to survive and where their rights are respected.
Zodongo is a word coined by a team of committed Ugandans, derived from Acholi (a language spoken in northern Uganda), that locals used to label our partner Hashtag Gulu for defending young people living on the streets. These young street-connected people are highly stigmatized and are often seen as the source of many societal ills, so helping this group is often criticised. Zodongo can be seen as sharing a small part of the burden of discrimination faced by those who commit themselves to defending the most vulnerabilised.
Finance and Programme Manager, Plan International Switzerland
With a Master’s degree in public economics and public finance, Gaëtan travelled extensively before spending three years in northern Uganda with a local NGO working with prisons and as local coordinator for Eirene Suisse. His passion for promoting equal rights is what drives him to continue his commitment to this magnificent country.
Gender Specialist – Programme Manager
A sociologist specializing in criminology, Emma lived in Thailand for over a year before spending three years in Uganda working for a grassroots feminist NGO promoting and defending women’s and girls’ rights, with special focus on fighting sexual and gender based violence. Zodongo enables her to continue supporting young girls and women who are survivors of abuse in Uganda and Peru.
Social Educator, Fondation Enfance Emma Couvreu
With an interdisciplinary Master’s degree in children’s rights, Loïc is a former development worker who worked for several years in Peru with MANTHOC, an organisation that defends the rights of working children. On his return to Switzerland, where he works as a social educator, Zodongo allows him to continue his commitment to defend the rights of children and young people in the Global South.
Director, PlayAgain
Alongside running a communications and marketing agency, Corentin organises lots of creative initiatives, such as the Oddicy immersive exploration race. He’s thrilled to put his skills in graphic design, communications, and event organisation at the service of a cause close to his heart.
Osteopath, SOAMA Espace Santé Chablais
Having always been concerned with supporting the most vulnerable peoples, Sandrine wants to invest her time in promoting a society where everyone has the opportunity to live a dignified life. Her experience in the field of health is an asset, as it is a key area for promoting the holistic well-being of all.
Social Worker, Fondation Cité Printemps
After having spent two years in Uganda, where he worked with a local NGO advocating for women’s rights, Bastian is devoted on a daily basis to doing what he believes to be right, especially in local politics. With a degree in international relations from IHEID, he joined Zodongo to continue supporting young Ugandans by sharing his expertise in the field.
Architect, Pangolin Architecture
Following a long road trip adventure across Africa, Jérémie is keen to give time to support the activities of Zodongo’s partners in order to give back to a continent that has left an indelible mark on his heart. His technical skills are an asset in terms of institutional strengthening, just as much as his good humour is invaluable to our organisation.
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