How the Help Localisation Facility operates
The Help Localisation Facility (HLF) is grounded in a model of shared responsibility for humanitarian resources through shared decision-making rather than delegated delivery or solely implementing partnerships with local and national Actors.
This means that responsibility for funding priorities, funding decisions, and accountability is shared among local and international civil society actors, HLF governance bodies, and Help as the hosting organisation, rather than exercised unilaterally by a single institution.
Our values and principles
The Help Localisation Facility (HLF) is founded on the values of partnership and participation, and respect and trust
These values shape how we work together and our understanding of shared responsibility, local leadership, and equitable partnerships.
They are reflected in the following principles:
- Equitable Partnerships: The HLF is built on long-term, trust-based partnerships between local and international humanitarian actors. Local expertise is recognised and valued, and existing power imbalances are actively addressed and reduced.
- Shared Decision-Making: Local and international civil society actors jointly shape key HLF decisions and processes. Their lived experience, expertise, and priorities influence which humanitarian projects are supported by the HLF and how they are delivered.
- Flexible and Needs-Based Funding: The HLF combines flexible funding with reduced administrative burdens and partner-led organisational strengthening. Partner organisations have the flexibility to use resources in line with their needs and priorities. International quality standards are implemented collaboratively, and responsibility is shared across partnerships.
Shared decision-making
Shared decision-making is a defining feature of the Help Localisation Facility (HLF). Local and international civil society actors actively shape the HLF's strategic direction and participate in decisions on funding priorities and grant allocations. To operationalise this approach, the HLF has established two complementary and participatory governance bodies that share decision-making authority: the HLF Steering Committee and the HLF Grants Committee.
The HLF committees bring together civil society actors, the German Federal Foreign Office, and Help in shared decision-making processes.
The HLF Steering Committee
The HLF Steering Committee provides the strategic direction and governance of the HLF. It guides the strategic development of the HLF as a locally led humanitarian fund and ensures that the principles of localisation, equitable partnerships, and quality funding guide the HLF’s strategic direction and governance. Its members include international civil society actors, the German Federal Foreign Office, and Help.
Hanna Medvedeva holds a Master’s degree in Political Communication from Goldsmiths, University of London. Her experience in humanitarian and development programs was gained through cooperation with international organisations and diplomatic missions of EU member states in Ukraine. Hanna is the author of thematic publications and analytical materials, and actively participates in discussions on Ukrainian and international platforms as a speaker and moderator.
At People in Need (PIN), Hanna works on a variety of projects, from global initiatives to those directly related to Ukraine. At the global level, she has contributed to the development of mechanisms for PIN’s engagement with civil society. In the Ukrainian mission, Hanna was instrumental in establishing a flexible fund to support Ukrainian civil society organisations that are actively engaged in the humanitarian response. Together with her colleagues, she also initiated and implemented measures and policies aimed at reducing obstacles to PIN’s cooperation with Ukrainian aid providers. This ensures that humanitarian and development assistance reaches those who need it most quickly and in a standardised manner.
Hanna is actively involved in the activities of the Working Group on Strengthening Local Leadership, established under the Humanitarian NGO Platform. She also contributed to the development of the Strategy on Strengthening Local Leadership, initiated by the Alliance of Ukrainian CSOs. As a representative of PIN, Anna participates in the work of the Advisory Board of the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine.
Jeannette Frangieh is a distinguished civil society leader, activist, and advocate for gender justice, humanitarian protection, and policy reform in Lebanon and internationally. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Himaya Daeem Aataa (HDA), a nationally registered Lebanese non-profit organisation headquartered in Zgharta that works across Lebanon to protect vulnerable populations, with a strong focus on women and girls affected by gender-based violence, displacement, and systemic inequality.
Under Frangieh’s leadership, HDA has become a pivotal women-led organisation recognised for elevating local voices in humanitarian and development spaces.
Frangieh’s commitment to shaping policy and humanitarian practice has also positioned her as a co-chair of the NGO Working Group of Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies, a multi-stakeholder global initiative focused on improving coordinated action and policy outcomes for GBV prevention and response.
Frangieh’s advocacy extends to international platforms, including high-level engagements where she represents frontline perspectives on humanitarian protection, gender policy, and civil society localisation.
Alabshir Adan Ibrahim is an international development leader with more than 15 years of experience in advancing locally led humanitarian action, strengthening civil society, and supporting the governance of pooled funds in Kenya and Somalia. Formerly a member of the Start Network Global Membership Committee and Co-Chair of a Community Engagement and Accountability Taskforce, he has provided strategic oversight, MEAL-informed adaptation, and fund stewardship as Executive Director of two organisations managing multi-donor programmes.
A committed advocate for shifting power and resources to national and community-level actors, he has hands-on experience in developing capacity-sharing approaches, strengthening local partner governance, and leading humanitarian responses in conflict-affected and fragile contexts.
He currently serves as Executive Director of the Organization for Sustainable Development Africa (OSDA). OSDA is a national organisation headquartered in Kenya with programmes across the fragile ecosystems of the Horn of Africa (Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia), building community resilience through transformative and sustainable programming.
Albashir also convenes the Kenya Humanitarian and Resilience Network (KHRN), a collaborative platform for regional changemakers. He is also a member of the Somali Climate Action Platform (SCAP) and the FOCUS Platform, two locally-led networks in Somalia.
Before OSDA, Albashir was Executive Director of Nexus Consortium Somalia, a locally led consortium. He has actively participated in various initiatives and discussions on anticipatory action, triple nexus programming, climate financing, climate-resilient programming, and localisation.
The German Federal Foreign Office is represented on the HLF Steering Committee as an institutional member and donor of the HLF. Its two members contribute to the Committee’s strategic discussions and decision-making alongside representatives of civil society and Help. Through its participation in the HLF Steering Committee, the German Federal Foreign Office contributes to the strategic direction and further development of the HLF and its approach to locally led humanitarian action.
Christian Kuijstermans is the Teamlead for the Middle East and South-Central Asia at Help, where he and his team support Help Partner Organisations in their humanitarian efforts. He has over 25 years' experience working in international development in Africa, Asia and Latin America, in both fixed positions and as a freelance consultant. His areas of expertise include civil society support, partnership building, capacity strengthening, planning, monitoring and evaluation, human rights, good governance, and peacebuilding.
Gritt Richter has led the HLF since 2025, working to improve local organisations’ access to high-quality, flexible funding and to strengthen their decision-making power over the allocation of resources. She brings more than 25 years of experience in international development and humanitarian action, having worked across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. Her areas of expertise include strengthening and working with civil society organisations, equitable partnerships, localisation and local leadership, gender equality, and youth empowerment.
The HLF Grants Committees
The HLF Grants Committees are the key decision-making bodies for the allocation of HLF funding in each country. They ensure that funding decisions are made fairly, transparently, based on needs, and with local perspectives represented. Funding applications are assessed by the Committees through an anonymised review process designed to promote fairness, impartiality, and equal opportunity, and to ensure that decisions are based solely on the quality and relevance of the project proposals.
The HLF Grants Committee Ukraine
The HLF Grants Committee Ukraine began its work in April 2025. Members include local civil society actors and Help. The German Federal Foreign Office is represented by an observer.
The HLF Grants Commitee Syria
An expansion of the HLF to Syria is currently being planned.
