MONROVIA – BASA Development Initiatives has become the first Liberian nongovernmental organization based at One UN House, moving its national headquarters into the Sinkor building that houses the United Nations agencies in Liberia, the organization said Monday.
The youth-founded, women-led nonprofit said the move puts a national organization down the hall from U.N. agencies and in regular contact with government institutions and development partners.
“Liberian organizations know the communities we serve, but we are often far from the rooms where programs are designed,” said Katherina M. Hopkins, the organization’s chief executive officer. “From today, a Liberian voice is in the building every working day. That means better coordination with our partners and programs that start with what communities actually need.”
The relocation comes as donors and aid agencies try to shift more funding and decision-making to local organizations. Under the Grand Bargain, agreed in 2016, signatories committed to channel at least 25% of humanitarian funding to local and national actors as directly as possible.
“Localization is not only about who receives funding. It is about who sits at the table when decisions are made,” Hopkins said. “Our headquarters now sits beside the UN system, and our field teams live and work in Sinoe, Maryland and Bong. We can connect the two in a way few organizations can.”
Founded in 2021, the organization works in agriculture and agribusiness, fisheries and the environment, health and nutrition, the circular economy, entrepreneurship and gender, with programs aimed at moving young people and women from training to income. It runs field offices in Greenville, Sinoe County; Harper, Maryland County; and Gbarnga, Bong County.
With UNICEF Liberia, it implements a Mastercard-funded community health livelihood project alongside Last Mile Health and Catholic Relief Services. Under the European Union-funded Private Sector Development Project, it delivers the cassava value chain component as a subcontractor to the GOPA AFC and IRAM consortium, reaching farmers and processors in Grand Bassa, Nimba, Margibi, Gbarpolu and Montserrado counties.
It said it will soon begin a German-funded youth skills and green jobs project in Montserrado, Margibi and Nimba counties with Welthungerhilfe and SHED, aiming to train 1,600 young people in vocational and green skills and support 15 youth-led enterprises.
The organization said it has 25 staff, keeps separate accounts for each project, requires three people to review and approve every financial transaction, and is audited externally every year.
“Our door at One UN House is open,” Hopkins said. “If you care about Liberia’s young people and women, come and see us. We would like to show you what we are building and talk about what we can build together.”
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