Firelight blog
Get the latest updates on our work
ArrowArrow
Read blog posts
By 2050, one in every three children under the age of 18 will be African. It is essential to ensure that these young people grow up in safe, strong, nurturing environments that prepare them to participate in ever-growing economic opportunities.
Recent posts
Building resilience in Africa: A new study's insights and recommendations
June 12, 2025
Kevin Obura and Ronald Kimambo
Building resilience in Africa: A new study's insights and recommendations
Read post
Blue Arrow
Insights from Firelight’s 2024 All-Grantee Survey
June 9, 2025
Kevin Obura and Ronald Kimambo
Insights from Firelight’s 2024 All-Grantee Survey
Read post
Blue Arrow
Centering community priorities in metrics and data collection
May 15, 2025
Centering community priorities in metrics and data collection
Read post
Blue Arrow
Firelight welcomes new Board Chair and new Board Member
April 10, 2025
Firelight welcomes new Board Chair and new Board Member
Read post
Blue Arrow
Empowering mothers improves early childhood development: Nine ways to promote women's agency
March 8, 2025
Empowering mothers improves early childhood development: Nine ways to promote women's agency
Read post
Blue Arrow
Yvette Kathurima joins Firelight’s Board of Directors
September 18, 2024
Yvette Kathurima joins Firelight’s Board of Directors
Read post
Blue Arrow
Firelight highlighted in new report on engaging communities and shifting power
August 28, 2024
Firelight highlighted in new report on engaging communities and shifting power
Read post
Blue Arrow
Tackling child marriage in Malawi by putting communities in the driver’s seat
August 19, 2024
Tackling child marriage in Malawi by putting communities in the driver’s seat
Read post
Blue Arrow
Letting go: Re-defining trust in philanthropic relationships
July 23, 2024
Marième Daff
Letting go: Re-defining trust in philanthropic relationships
Read post
Blue Arrow
Effective protection and safeguarding for resource-limited environments and organizations
June 20, 2024
Effective protection and safeguarding for resource-limited environments and organizations
Read post
Blue Arrow
Valuing long-term change over short-term outcomes in early childhood development
May 18, 2024
Valuing long-term change over short-term outcomes in early childhood development
Read post
Blue Arrow
Calling on community expertise: the role of participatory mapping in reducing child marriage in Malawi
May 10, 2024
Calling on community expertise: the role of participatory mapping in reducing child marriage in Malawi
Read post
Blue Arrow
Highlighting community-driven approaches at the East Africa Regional Early Childhood Conference
March 7, 2024
Highlighting community-driven approaches at the East Africa Regional Early Childhood Conference
Read post
Blue Arrow
Executive director Marième Daff shares her reflections upon joining Firelight
December 15, 2023
Marième Daff
Executive director Marième Daff shares her reflections upon joining Firelight
Read post
Blue Arrow
Community responses to a rise in teen pregnancies during COVID-19 in Malawi
November 28, 2023
Community responses to a rise in teen pregnancies during COVID-19 in Malawi
Read post
Blue Arrow
Community responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in eastern and southern Africa
November 23, 2023
Community responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in eastern and southern Africa
Read post
Blue Arrow
Firelight featured as example of decolonizing philanthropy
October 27, 2023
Firelight featured as example of decolonizing philanthropy
Read post
Blue Arrow
Why we've stopped using the term 'sub-Saharan Africa'
August 22, 2023
Tomaida Banda and Ronald Kimambo
Why we've stopped using the term 'sub-Saharan Africa'
Read post
Blue Arrow
What does it take to shift power in philanthropy?
August 14, 2023
What does it take to shift power in philanthropy?
Read post
Blue Arrow
Firelight announces appointment of Marième Daff as new Executive Director
August 11, 2023
Firelight announces appointment of Marième Daff as new Executive Director
Read post
Blue Arrow
Youth and communities at the heart of systems change: meet Firelight Foundation’s CBO grantee-partners supporting youth resilience in Kenya
May 9, 2023
By Sam Mugacha (Imaginable Futures) and Carolyne Ng'eny (Firelight Foundation)
Youth and communities at the heart of systems change: meet Firelight Foundation’s CBO grantee-partners supporting youth resilience in Kenya
Read post
Blue Arrow
Respect, agency, and collaboration: practical advice for development funders
May 8, 2023
By Tomaida Banda, Firelight Program Officer for Child and Youth Rights, Care and Protection
Respect, agency, and collaboration: practical advice for development funders
Read post
Blue Arrow
Webinar on early childhood: how communities are achieving transformational change
April 16, 2023
Webinar on early childhood: how communities are achieving transformational change
Read post
Blue Arrow
Let’s stop deciding for African children and communities. Here’s your chance to listen to what they have to say.
April 4, 2023
Let’s stop deciding for African children and communities. Here’s your chance to listen to what they have to say.
Read post
Blue Arrow
Taking on ‘trust’ in global development philanthropy
December 1, 2022
By Nina Blackwell, Executive Director for the Center for Effective Philanthropy
Taking on ‘trust’ in global development philanthropy
Read post
Blue Arrow
Community-driven systems change: where is the evidence? Hear the perspective of CBO leaders themselves.
November 22, 2022
Community-driven systems change: where is the evidence? Hear the perspective of CBO leaders themselves.
Read post
Blue Arrow
Bridging the divide between grassroots actors and current global development and funding practices for children and youth
September 26, 2022
Bridging the divide between grassroots actors and current global development and funding practices for children and youth
Read post
Blue Arrow
Community-driven systems change: where is the evidence? A guest perspective from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
September 22, 2022
By Lisa Bohmer and Shaheen Kasim-Lakha of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Community-driven systems change: where is the evidence? A guest perspective from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Read post
Blue Arrow
Community-driven systems change: where is the evidence? Tanzania child marriage
September 5, 2022
Community-driven systems change: where is the evidence? Tanzania child marriage
Read post
Blue Arrow
Solidarity over charity: prioritizing long-term shifts over band-aid responses
August 16, 2022
By Dr. Sadaf Shallwani, Firelight’s Director of Programs and Learning
Solidarity over charity: prioritizing long-term shifts over band-aid responses
Read post
Blue Arrow
Community-driven systems change : where is the evidence? Community action to improve early childhood practices and environments in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia
August 8, 2022
Community-driven systems change : where is the evidence? Community action to improve early childhood practices and environments in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia
Read post
Blue Arrow
Help us find our new Executive Director
July 28, 2022
Help us find our new Executive Director
Read post
Blue Arrow
Community-driven systems change : where is the evidence? Malawi girls' secondary education
July 27, 2022
Community-driven systems change : where is the evidence? Malawi girls' secondary education
Read post
Blue Arrow
Want a break from reading? Grab a tea or coffee and listen to our own Dr. Sadaf Shallwani on "what is community-driven systems change?"
July 25, 2022
Want a break from reading? Grab a tea or coffee and listen to our own Dr. Sadaf Shallwani on "what is community-driven systems change?"
Read post
Blue Arrow
How does Firelight support its donors to support community-driven systems change?
June 28, 2022
How does Firelight support its donors to support community-driven systems change?
Read post
Blue Arrow
Freeing ourselves from colonial, white savior models of philanthropy
June 16, 2022
Freeing ourselves from colonial, white savior models of philanthropy
Read post
Blue Arrow
Stories of change – when communities drive their own early childhood systems to success
April 5, 2022
Stories of change – when communities drive their own early childhood systems to success
Read post
Blue Arrow
What do we need to do differently to support community-driven systems change? A view from both sides – the donor and the grantee
March 4, 2022
What do we need to do differently to support community-driven systems change? A view from both sides – the donor and the grantee
Read post
Blue Arrow
Support Africa's civil society to meet future challenges
February 17, 2022
By Rose Maruru, CEO of EPIC Africa
Support Africa's civil society to meet future challenges
Read post
Blue Arrow
Climate change is driving child marriage – a plea to donors and funders to act
December 7, 2021
By Dua Kazimoto, Firelight Program Assistant in Child and Adolescent Rights
Climate change is driving child marriage – a plea to donors and funders to act
Read post
Blue Arrow
Traditional approaches to aid and development are failing us. It’s time to invest in community-driven change.
November 3, 2021
By Mary A. Kabati, Ronah K. Lubinda, Adela Materu, Kingsley Makuwila, Jones Mwalwanda, Prosper Ndaiga and Moses Zulu
Traditional approaches to aid and development are failing us. It’s time to invest in community-driven change.
Read post
Blue Arrow
Our most powerful resources are the young people we seek to serve.
September 17, 2021
By Jones Mwalwanda - Executive Director of the Foundation for Community Livelihood and Development (FOCOLD) in Malawi.
Our most powerful resources are the young people we seek to serve.
Read post
Blue Arrow
Webinar recording - Centering Community in Philanthropy to Africa
July 29, 2021
Webinar recording - Centering Community in Philanthropy to Africa
Read post
Blue Arrow
Firelight Program Officer Carolyne Ng’eny elected to the Board of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)
July 16, 2021
Firelight Program Officer Carolyne Ng’eny elected to the Board of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)
Read post
Blue Arrow
New report and tools from Firelight give donors practical tools to #shiftthepower in their grantmaking
May 27, 2021
New report and tools from Firelight give donors practical tools to #shiftthepower in their grantmaking
Read post
Blue Arrow
Firelight welcomes five new African leaders to our Board of Directors
April 15, 2021
Firelight welcomes five new African leaders to our Board of Directors
Read post
Blue Arrow
The future with and beyond COVID 19 - a community view from Tanzania
March 3, 2021
By Mary Kabati, TAHEA Mwanza
The future with and beyond COVID 19 - a community view from Tanzania
Read post
Blue Arrow
Insights from Firelight’s 2024 All-Grantee Survey
Insights from Firelight’s 2024 All-Grantee SurveyIn mid 2024, Firelight engaged an independent consultant to conduct an anonymous survey of our current community-based organization (CBO) partners in eastern and southern Africa.
Read impact study
Blue Arrow
Centering community priorities in metrics and data collection
Centering community priorities in metrics and data collectionWe are thrilled to share the recent article by Ronald Kimambo and Sadaf Shallwani in Development in Practice, a peer-reviewed journal focusing on equitable and sustainable development.
Read impact study
Blue Arrow