THE VALUE OF A LOCALLY LED NETWORK AND THE CHALLENGES OF BUILDING ONE
In 2020, five groups of humanitarian actors in five locations partnered on a journey with Start Network. This journey was to create locally led networks of humanitarian changemakers to present a powerful alternative to the current international humanitarian system. Together, they would form a collective of hubs that would move Start Network to becoming a more locally led and distributed network, with power and decision making in the hands of organisations closest to crises. These five hubs in DRC, Guatemala, India, Pacific, and Pakistan have been founded by collectives of organisations in those locations and together all hubs are working with each other and Start Network to learn the best way to build this decentralised network of networks. Over the last year, Start Network spoke to a range of stakeholders to understand the views on the potential value and challenges of hubs. The findings provided insight into where our stakeholders see value in a locally led network of networks model, as well as the challenges they expect hubs will face in achieving this vision.