CARE’S Localization Approach: Technical Capacity Statement

Overview of CARE’s Localization Approach

At CARE, we see localization as a holistic approach for advancing locally-led and locally-sustained development and humanitarian assistance. We go beyond engaging with local organizations as partners in a single award – instead we seek to build local voice and leadership across our programs, and to foster and cultivate enduring capacity, relationships, and local and global networks beyond the timeframe of an individual program. CARE’s localization model blends principles of both locally-led development and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) with an emphasis on shifting power to the local level. We intentionally center women, girls, and marginalized communities in everything that we do to ensure that the voices of underrepresented, underserved, and vulnerable populations lead and shape development solutions and humanitarian response.

CARE’s approach to localization rests upon five key pillars:

1. We foster longstanding partnerships with local organizations – particularly with partners that value, represent, or are led by women, girls, and marginalized groups – and we support our local partners to lead on the design and implementation of programming.
2. Within our partnerships, we shift power, decision making, and leadership to local organizations, leaders, and communities through a range of participatory and inclusive programmatic approaches.
3. We use our convening power to bring our longstanding partners together into robust networks that harness the power of collective action.
4. We leverage our global presence through the CARE Confederation to connect local actors to global stakeholders, movements, and networks to amplify their voice and scale what works.
5. We adopt and scale operational models and programmatic approaches that ensure local people and communities – especially women, girls, and other marginalized groups – shape their own social, economic, and development futures.