Building Charity Resilience in 2025
The first quarter of 2025 has brought fresh challenges to the international development sector. With sudden, dramatic cuts to USAID and the unexpected announcement of UK Aid reductions by 2027, many organisations are turning inward, focused on survival. SWIDN are committed to supporting our members and wider international development community, and so are delivering a…
A Call for Global Solidarity: Our Response to More UK Aid Cuts
Yesterday, the UK Government announced plans to cut the Aid budget to 0.3% by April 2027, redirecting funds towards the defence budget. For those of us working in global development, this is a devastating blow. The decision appears to have been made rapidly and without wide consultation: those of us funded by the UK Aid…
Career Journeys Blog #4 – Abbi Gutierrez
In the latest of our career journey’s blog series, aimed at introducing our members to each other and inspiring early career professionals, read SWIDN member Abbi’s story here… Transitioning from a keen A-level geography student interested in global issues to navigating a career in international development has been a journey marked by uncertainty and perseverance.…
Career Journeys Blog #3 – Ben Forrest
A huge thank you to Ben for the latest addition to our career journeys blog series! read about his fascinating experiences here- What first interested you about working in the international development/global solidarity sector? My interest in working in the international development sector developed in a roundabout way – to coopt a term from the…
SWIDN Conference 2024 Recordings: Locally-led Development
SWIDN were delighted to host our fourth annual conference in 2024, returning for another year of online, open access and free discussions, training, networking and peer learning opportunities. This year’s focus was on locally-led development and we explored what this is, whether it’s possible within the current ‘development’ system, how far local goals can be…
A Charity Map of the South West: Who are we all?
Since SWIDN were first established around a Westcountry kitchen table in 2005, we have known that there are hundreds of organisations working across the UK’s South West to tackle poverty and inequality in countries around the world. Over the years, we have worked to engage many of these organisations as members, to better support their…
SWIDN’s Pilot Mentorship Scheme: Supporting International Development Professionals
Between January and June 2024, SWIDN embarked on an exciting journey with our Pilot Mentorship Scheme. Designed to foster collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and professional growth, this initiative paired 22 mentors with 22 mentees, creating a vibrant community of international development professionals eager to learn and grow together. With wonderful input from Shaenna Loughnane – CEO at…
Career Journeys Blog Series #2 – Marlene Kawira
We hope you enjoy this blog full of wisdom and career insights from Marlene Kawira Kinyua- Creative Humanitarian, Founder of Hello MEARL and Afrikala Art, Content creator with Lead Like a Feminist and much more! Thank you for sharing your story with SWIDN for the second in our blog series on Career Journeys….. What first…
Transitioning to Localisation: Bridge2Aid’s Journey in Tanzania
Localisation tries to shift power, resources, and ownership to local people, putting them at the centre of the aid system.” (CAF) Localisation principles are rapidly reshaping the landscape of international development meaning international development charities and NGOs must ensure they empower the communities they aim to support. This paradigm shift isn’t a fad or trend…
