Dear Supporter,
The last few months have seen the beginnings of much-needed change in society, institutions, and the humanitarian sector. The Covid-19 crisis has not been the great leveller as some pronounced; rather it has brutally illustrated the disparities between not just the global north and south, but also in our own communities. Whilst the impact of the virus on the world reminded us all of the fragility of life, it is those most vulnerable in society who have been left in a more precarious position. And the Black Lives Matter movement has brought home many truths that we may have been aware of but we were guilty of not doing more to correct.
We set up Legacy of War Foundation because we wanted to do things differently, to challenge the traditional neo-colonial concepts in the aid sector, and design a model that was beneficiary-led and localised. For the past few months, we have been discussing how we want to move forward as an organisation. We have incredible trustees, team, patrons, and partners who are forever challenging and educating me, and together we have arrived at ten guiding principles that will shape our work.
We must recognise that many organisations in the charity sector operate from a position of white privilege and work to readdress that imbalance of power. To move forward we must work to break down structures that stop communities from re-empowering themselves. The prevalence of white international staff in senior leadership and the continued devaluing of local expertise and partners is something that must change.
“Power is both the greatest resource and greatest impediment to effective local humanitarian action: the power relations embedded in formal humanitarian structures must be confronted and transitioned to reflect new possibilities.
Our work shows that the barrier to greater local action is not a dearth of capacity, but instead the reluctance of international actors – donors, United Nations agencies and international non-governmental organisations – to cede power. The necessary shifts in the system will require effort and will take a generation to embed, but they are long overdue.”
As CEO of Legacy of War Foundation, I hope to learn from my colleagues and communities, so we can do more to challenge these structures. On a personal level, I need to understand more about how my unconscious bias impacts my work, storytelling, and approach to humanitarian projects.
Living with a disability is not easy. Most of the time I’m in pain, some days the most basic tasks are impossible, I have felt anger due to the discrimination I faced based solely on my disability. But I have always said that despite my injuries, I am still in a privileged position; both as somebody living in a county with the wealth to support my rehabilitation, and also as a white man. Accepting my privilege does not mean I’m saying my life has always been easy, it is saying I live in a system that has helped me overcome my challenges, rather than obstruct my opportunity.
My life is not valued less because of the colour of my skin.
My passport is not invalid because of the country I was born in.
I am not profiled and feared because of the religion I was born into.
My race, colour, or national origin has never denied me an opportunity, subjected me to violence, or curtailed my freedoms. To recognise that is not to say one is racist, it’s to recognise that I live in a system that is and that I have benefited from that. The reality is that my accomplishments and opportunities, such as being CEO of this organisation, would have not been realised without the advantages I was born into. It is my duty, I believe, to use that position to redress that imbalance of power and opportunity. I have dedicated myself to that work, but I still have much to learn and I am grateful to those who help educate me.
I am a photographer and I am a lover of photography. If we have greater diversity behind the camera it does not impede my view; it actually enriches my vision. Life is the same. I have a platform in life that was given to me because of where I was born into and the colour of my skin. I did not earn that; it was simply the life I was born in to. Nobody is asking me to give up what I have, I am simply being asked to share that stage. My belief is, that when we step back to share our platform, all of our lives are enriched.
We feel this should be the case within the humanitarian sector; we must all readdress the balance so organisations are no longer dominated by Western, white, non-disabled, and often male voices. We must create spaces for more diverse and local voices to share the knowledge and experience they have. As a result humanitarianism can be re-shaped by those new players, ending the age of top-down saviours and creating a more dynamic, forward-thinking, and positive model.
Unlike many organisations, the team and patrons and Legacy of War Foundation reflect the communities we serve. We believe our strength is in our diversity and as we develop and move forward as an organisation, I will endeavour to make sure our future will be shaped by that team and by continuing to listen to the beneficiaries we work with.
Legacy of War Foundation’s Ten Guiding Principles:
1. The beneficiary (we prefer the term ‘partner’) should take the central role in design, implementation and control of projects.
2. We strive to work in solidarity and collaboration, not in power and control.
3. Training and education for both our team and our partners must be part of every project, to further skills and opportunities.
4. Projects are to be run by local teams, not international staff.
5. All projects should be sustainable, environmental, and long-term, and wherever possible, self-funding within five years.
6. Our work should benefit not just our partners, but also the wider community.
7. We should work with local artists to document projects and communicate the stories of our partners.
8. Our organisation must be a workplace of equal opportunities.
9. That there should be fair wages and low organisational costs.
10. That the support, dignity, well-being and protection of our partners comes above all else.