The Silver Lining: Reducing Dependency and Reclaiming Power in Global Development

By: Donna Egbulem, PMP, MSW, MPH

The rollback of DEI initiatives and the gutting of USAID under the Trump administration sent shockwaves through the global health and development sectors this week. Thousands of USAID employees were laid off, programs were abruptly shut down, and the federal government signaled a retreat from long-standing commitments to international aid. More recently, the firing of federal DEI hires has reinforced a troubling shift away from equity-focused policies.

At face value, these rollbacks represent devastating losses. Yet, amid the chaos, there is an undeniable silver lining—an opportunity to strengthen community-led initiatives and redefine what sustainable global development looks like.

Breaking Free from Western Conditionality

For decades, many global health and development programs have been tied to funding streams controlled by Western governments, philanthropists, and institutions—often with strings attached. These conditions have dictated everything from which communities receive support to how aid is implemented, frequently reinforcing power imbalances that prioritize donor preferences over local realities.

With USAID scaling back and DEI initiatives being gutted from within, the hard truth is that Western funding is no longer a reliable pillar of international development. While this creates undeniable hardship, it also presents an opportunity for self-determination—a chance for local organizations, grassroots movements, and survivor-led initiatives to step into leadership without being bound by external stipulations.

The Shift Toward Community-Centered and Survivor-Led Programming

One of the most promising outcomes of this transition is the increasing emphasis on community-driven solutions. When funding is no longer dictated by Western institutions, local organizations gain the freedom to implement programs that truly reflect the needs, culture, and expertise of the people they serve.

Consider gender-based violence prevention programs, which have long been constrained by Western funders’ rigid expectations. Survivor-led movements often advocate for more holistic, culturally rooted interventions—yet many have been sidelined due to donors' preference for metrics-heavy, one-size-fits-all approaches. With less reliance on USAID and similar entities, these movements have an opportunity to flourish on their own terms.

Similarly, in the public health sector, local healthcare providers and organizations can now take the lead in designing strategies that are sustainable beyond donor cycles. For too long, funding fluctuations have dictated which diseases and health crises receive attention. Now, there is an urgent push to invest in local funding mechanisms, regional collaborations, and models that do not hinge on Western approval.

Figuring It Out: The Opportunity for New Funding and Collaboration Models

This shift is not without challenges—reduced USAID funding means organizations must find new ways to sustain themselves. However, necessity has always been the mother of invention. Across the globe, innovative solutions are emerging:

• Regional Investment Funds: Countries and regional blocs are stepping up to create funding pools that reduce reliance on Western donors. The African Union’s recent push for self-financed development initiatives is one example.

• Diaspora and Private Sector Engagement: Many communities have strong diaspora networks with the potential to invest in local development projects. Additionally, social enterprises and impact investing are becoming more viable alternatives to traditional aid.

South-South Collaboration: With less interference from the West, countries in the Global South have more room to build peer-to-peer partnerships that are based on mutual benefit rather than donor-driven agendas.

Reclaiming Power in the Global Development Landscape

For years, activists and development professionals have called for a shift in power—one where local leaders and organizations are not just implementers of Western-funded projects but architects of their own solutions. The current landscape, while turbulent, forces us to make that shift.

If there is a silver lining in these rollbacks, it’s that they provide a wake-up call. They highlight the urgency of creating sustainable, locally-led alternatives that are not dictated by the changing political winds of Western nations. Yes, the loss of USAID funding and DEI programs is disruptive. But it is also an opportunity—a moment to build something stronger, freer, and truly centered on the people who have always been at the heart of this work.

Beyond Money: Embracing Alternative Currencies

While financial resources have long been seen as the lifeblood of global development, it’s important to remember that money is not the only type of currency available. In this new era, social capital, trust, local knowledge, and cultural resilience are emerging as equally powerful assets.

• Social Capital: The bonds and networks formed within communities provide the support system necessary to drive grassroots change. These relationships, built on mutual respect and shared experience, can be more sustainable than short-term financial injections.

• Local Knowledge: Indigenous wisdom and community-specific insights are invaluable in crafting solutions that are culturally sensitive and contextually relevant. This knowledge can often yield innovative approaches that are overlooked by externally imposed frameworks.

• Trust and Cultural Resilience: Trust is the foundation of any community-led initiative. When communities are empowered to lead, they build resilience through collective action, ensuring that the impact of development programs is both deep-rooted and enduring.

These alternative currencies remind us that true progress is not measured solely by the dollar but by the strength of our communities and the depth of our relationships. They enable us to reimagine global development through the lens of equity and shared power, turning challenges into opportunities for transformational change.

Looking Ahead: Reimagining Global Development

The ongoing shifts in funding and policy have exposed a critical vulnerability in relying too heavily on Western financial support. However, they have also paved the way for a more balanced and inclusive approach to global development—one that values local leadership, community resilience, and alternative forms of capital.

As we navigate this transition, the challenge before us is clear: How will we leverage these new currencies to create sustainable, community-centered solutions? The answer lies in our collective commitment to reimagining the power dynamics that have long defined international aid. By valuing trust, knowledge, and the bonds that tie communities together, we can build a future where development is truly for the people—and by the people.

What alternative currencies are you investing in to drive change in your community? Let’s continue the conversation on building a more resilient and equitable world.

About the Author:

Donna Egbulem, PMP, MSW, MPH is a senior public health professional who specializes in change management, global health development, gender based violence, and health equity & social inclusion. 

As a Global Health Professional with 12+ years of experience in International Development, Donna has lived and worked in Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Uganda, and the US. My toolkit includes rolling out Task Orders, coordinating research studies, data analytics, & strategic planning to combat challenges in HIV/AIDS and Gender-Based Violence, and more. Through her past and current work with USAID, CDC, and the State Department (US Mission Uganda and US Mission Eswatini), she has consistently analyzed and interpreted data to inform decision-making and improve gender-specific programming.

Connect with Donna Egbulem, PMP, MSW, MPH:

Global Development Work | Public Health Consulting

Five Lessons we’re bringing to the Proverbial Table :Update your approach to social & health equity rollbacks in real time

Last week, mid-rant, I thought to myself, “we’ve done this before”. Not to excuse what is happening now, or what may happen in the coming day, but to ground myself in experience, ability, and dare I say…hope.

During the last Trump administration, I was working as a public health/home visiting nurse and in grad school. I worked abroad year 3, but was back in year 4 for the height of the pandemic. Doom scrolling on this app and others have reminded me that in the time since the first term many new professionals have entered the workforce. I’ve read posts and watched videos from recent grads, newly minted public health professionals, nurses, and DEI practitioners that to me,  highlight the importance of sharing previous experiences and at the very least, using them as stepping stones to collectively figure out what comes next this time around. Crying, screaming, and throwing up on the bathroom floor is a righteous choice, but not one that gets us to the same place as those MLK quotes we all posted last week.

Here are some reminders/ stepping stones from working in public health, government, and facilitating health equity work during that time. As with everything- share what you can (in the comments), take what you need, and leave the rest.

Connect to community, invest in community

There are a multitude of dynamic organizations within our local communities that have weathered these storms before. From immigration, to healthcare and everything in between- there is likely a grassroots community organization that has not received airtime or a donation since the end of the last term, but has continued to do the work. Invest (sustainably) in these organizations, amplify the work they’ve always done, share the resources they offer, and plug your local network into them. When government services were cut, due to an executive order or lack of funding, I routinely referred clients and patients to community organizations that could help fill the gap or offer needed guidance and support.

Let’s also talk about the private sector. COVID is the most recent example of the private sector’s nuanced history of filling resource & infrastructure gaps left by the federal government. We’ve already seen private companies affirm their commitments to fostering inclusiveness, continue grant funding to support health equity work, and offer relief in other ways. While private funding or resource allocation (think free space rentals, etc.)can be fickle and varies with social and market trends, it’s important to not count them out. Identifying private companies in your sector who have committed to equity work and values in the past and are now signaling their capacity to support communities most at-risk, is a great first step.

Learn on the job, AND off

Ask yourself, in what ways can community events drive health equity and larger DEI learnings? In the past week alone, we’ve seen an increase in community-led and hosted webinars, panels, and teach-ins. During the first term, I attended similar events with colleagues to increase our understanding of equity frameworks, policy changes, policy implications related to the communities we live and work in, and be updated on the ever growing community resource lists. Your job should not be the only place where you hold yourself accountable to engaging in health equity and DEI learning experiences.

The reality is, health equity, and larger DEI learning experiences exist outside of the workplace and will continue to, even in the newfound absence of them in many workplaces and classrooms across the country.

For my people leaders and team builders-while workplace based trainings and learning experiences engage those who would otherwise not seek out these experiences on their own, now is a great time to consider professional skillsets that are of high-value. Who is coming in the door prepared vs. who do we need to prepare? As you recruit, hire, and form internal teams-view knowledge of health equity frameworks as a valued skillset if you don’t already.

Ask any of our clients and they will tell you how adamant we are that diversity, (health-, racial-, gender-, etc) equity, and inclusion learning experiences are not exclusive to the workplace. One of our many goals is to support the development of a workforce where DEI knowledge is as crucial to being hired as having gone to medical is for a physician.

Tap into professional associations and coalitions (especially at the local level)

Professional associations and community coalitions are underrated! During the first administration, I was a member of the Black Nurses Association at the national and local level. Through this membership, I was able to work alongside  local organizations to provide free healthcare screenings for at-risk communities. We also collaborated with other local organizations and agencies to keep communities informed and well-resourced in the midst of ever changing policies and executive orders.

Additionally, professional associations and community coalitions are great places to seek out trainings and learning experiences, invest in community, collaborate with others in your professional sector to better support vulnerable populations, and most importantly- share sector specific communications with the greater public.

Throughout the first term, we saw a number of professional associations and community coalitions use their unrestricted voices to dissent, share policy updates and community implications, amplify resource lists and community-focused funding, and inform the public of recommended actions to support their overall health and safety.

Recent rollbacks on the autonomy and scope of work of certain social, health, and research departments at the federal level are concerning. While the action of professional associations and community coalitions cannot compare to those of federal departments, they can offer us spaces to learn and act alongside experts in those sectors in spaces that are less restrictive.

If you’re reading this and realizing that there is not a local chapter for your profession’s association or an existing community coalition that addresses gaps- now is a great time to step in and up.

You’re not new to this, you’re true to this (use old skills in new ways)

Stating the obvious here, but equity work, no matter the sector you work in, is never easy. It is intentionally inconvenient work in a society that demands convenience and ease. It requires an understanding of self, history, and human behavior. It demands patience. Even when organizations create the departments and recruit you to do the work, you still find yourself fighting to adapt policies and procedures to usher in the equity work that they champion externally. It can be exhausting.

Yet, here you are, still doing the work.

Health Equity/ DEI practitioners come in different packages. You might be the lead of a dedicated DEI department, or an employee doing this work off the side of their desk. No matter how you assume the role of practitioner, we all share a distinct ability to speak to the heart and the pockets. We know how to make it make cents because inequity COSTS. No matter your race, gender, socio-economic status, language spoken, or sexual orientation; inequity COSTS.

That’s one example of a skillset/ knowledge base we already have that has kept this work afloat despite those who wake up every morning, even before January 20th, 2025, and act to remove mention and examples of diversity, equity, and inclusion from the fabric of our society.  I’m sure you can think of many more. The point is, take inventory of the unique skillsets you have from doing this work and use it for the greater good.

During the first term, many of us public health nurses were able to use our connections to grassroots organizing and rapport in our local and national communities to serve as trusted messengers in a multitude of ways (being vague/ having discretion is another skillset- clock it).

Breathe

Do it with me right now… in for 4 counts, out for 4 counts.

Inhale collaboration, mutual aid, and staying close to our sense of humanity.

Exhale limiting beliefs.

Gratitude in the New Year

Each year I send out a “Happy New Year, here is what we did over the past year” email for C4C. This year I’ve decided to turn it into a blog post to share it with a wider audience! In 2023, my comms consultant encouraged me to start a blog and instead I heard, “you should start a blog to share your ideas and frameworks and it MUST be perfect and have perfect topics that will resonate with everyone”. So here we are, about a year and a half later and I’ve finally reached the stage where I realize that is not what she said and I place too much pressure on myself- I’m sure many other consultants can relate.

So, my friends, consider this a soft launch of the Conduit for Collaboration Consulting Blog. We’re hoping to curate a space that highlights our frameworks, our partnerships, and discourse that promotes equity, innovation, sustainability, and collaboration. Let’s kick it off with our 2024 highlights!

Thank you to our partners and clients for prioritizing collaboration, equity, innovation, and sustainability by choosing to work with Conduit for Collaboration Consulting (C4C) in 2024!

Over the course of the year we:

• gained new collaborative partners (clients, experts, and partner organizations!)

• continued our work as IDI Qualified Administrators to create and further develop sustainable  healthcare quality goals and guide health equity strategic planning 

• supported steering committees and community coalitions focused on addressing maternal child health outcomes, reproductive justice policy, and holding governmental agencies accountable for improved social and health outcomes for children of color and Native American children

• explored maternal health and health innovation consulting landscapes on the East coast and in the eastern region of Africa

• engaged in speaking opportunities to raise awareness on the Black maternal health crisis in the U.S. and supportive maternal mental health interventions

• received certification declaring us a woman and minority-owned business (THANK you Certified Access) 

• were nominated for a 2024 Radical Leadership Award

• met THE Dr. Camara Jones, MD, MPH, PhD

...and most importantly, we enjoyed MANY opportunities to celebrate individuals and small businesses who are part of the larger collective and collaborative movement for justice in healthcare!

Thank you for your business this year and as we move into 2025, I look forward to our continued collaboration and fellowship!