“Strengthening Partnerships for Localization and Equity: My Summer with Acting Globally”
By Khaled Shaath (UNC Global Studies ’26)
Summer 2025 AFE Blog Post Series
Amartya Sen once wrote that “Development has to be more concerned with enhancing the lives we lead and the freedoms we enjoy.” This perspective shaped my summer with Acting Globally, where I served as a Partnership Manager.
At its heart, my work was grounded in the principle of localization; the conviction that sustainable change is best led by grassroots actors, not imposed from above. Acting Globally embraces this philosophy by fostering equity-centered partnerships that empower communities to set their own priorities, build capacity, and share power more fairly within the field of international development.
My role focused on two key areas:
- Partnership Identification and Support
I collaborated with the team to identify potential grassroots partners, especially organizations representing underrepresented communities. This involved mapping the current partnership landscape, analyzing equity gaps, and conducting environmental scan research to identify potential partners and strategic stakeholders. Through this work, I gained a deeper appreciation for how seemingly “small” community-based organizations often embody the most innovative, contextually grounded approaches to change. I also co-created practical tools—such as partnership templates and matrices, which were designed to map and visualize potential partners and leads. - Fundraising and Donor Engagement
In parallel, I supported the fundraising team in exploring how Acting Globally can align its donor strategies with grassroots values. This meant researching donors who prioritize long-term, community-led development. Here, I witnessed the tensions between bureaucracy and the lived realities of local partners and the various approaches and ways to get work done.
Khaled presents on coding for peace in Gaza at Duke
Perhaps the most rewarding part of the internship was seeing how these strands of work connected. Partnership development is not only about expanding networks, but also about reshaping power dynamics in ways that amplify grassroots voices. Similarly, fundraising is not just about securing resources, but about ensuring that funding flows in ways that advance equity and sustainability.
As I reflect on this summer, I am reminded of the broader lesson emphasized by Acting Globally: that peace, justice, and sustainable development require us to challenge entrenched systems of inequality, and to co-create new models of collaboration rooted in dignity and respect.
This experience has affirmed my commitment to advancing community-led development and to ensuring that policy conversations in international development remain grounded in the wisdom and agency of those most affected.