The German humanitarian organisation Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe has launched a new initiative in Ukraine — the Help Localisation Facility (HLF) — aimed at shifting not only resources but also decision-making power to local humanitarian organisations. In its first phase, HLF plans to support 20 Ukrainian partners. This is not just about aid delivery — it’s a structural change where money and decisions stay in Ukraine, and international donors act as partners rather than managers.
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HLF is designed around joint management of funds through a grants committee and a steering committee, both of which include representatives from international and Ukrainian civil society. This means that Ukrainian organisations will have the power to decide which projects to fund and how to allocate resources.
Gritt Richter, Head of the HLF team, in an interview for Humanitarian Media Hub emphasized that localisation is not just a buzzword, but a new approach that restores leadership to Ukrainian civil society. According to her, local actors can deliver aid up to 32% more efficiently than international ones, as they are already on the ground, understand community needs better, and can respond more quickly.
While Ukrainian legislation currently complicates direct foreign funding, HLF was created to overcome these barriers. Organisations that meet specific due diligence and programmatic criteria will be eligible to apply and enter a dialogue process before submitting proposals. These processes are led by Ukrainian experts, not by Help, to stay close to the local reality.
Although HLF currently focuses on registered organisations, it is also exploring models for supporting informal initiatives — for instance, through partnerships or consortia. The steering committee is expected to address this in future phases.
Help is currently active in 28 countries and works with 83 local partners worldwide. But the Ukrainian HLF stands out as an example of a new humanitarian model based on equality, trust, and long-term impact.
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