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A New Aid Model

A New Aid Model: How Does a Platform Like “Little x Little” Work Differently?

For too long, aid in Africa has followed a top-down script: Donors in the Global North fund large international organisations, who then trickle down resources to local implementers, often with strings attached and little say from the people most affected.

Little x Little was born out of a simple belief:

The people closest to the problem are also closest to the solution.

But they’re the least funded, least trusted, and least visible.

So, how do we do it differently?


1. Local-Led, Not Donor-Led

Traditional Model:

Donors set priorities → Big INGOs apply for funding → Local orgs implement under strict conditions

Little x Little Model:

Local organisations identify their own priorities → We amplify their voice, help them fundraise directly → Donors give to them, not just about them

We don’t just support local leadership.

We centre it.


2. Direct Funding to Grassroots Organisations

Instead of passing money through multiple layers (each taking admin fees and controlling decisions), Little x Little:

Connects donors directly to community-based organisations (CBOs)

Helps these local nonprofits fundraise through their own stories, needs, and timelines

Eliminates unnecessary intermediaries

This ensures more funding reaches the frontlines, where it matters most.


3. Transparent Use of Funds

On Little x Little:

Each fundraising page includes clear goals, budgets, and impact targets

Every donor gets updates on where their money went

Each local org has a profile so donors can verify their mission, past work, and results

There’s no mystery about who you’re giving to or what happens after you click “donate.”


4. Impact That Is Community-Defined

We don’t impose indicators from outside.

Local organisations define:

What success looks like

What problems are urgent

How to report progress in ways that are culturally relevant and honest

We support impact storytelling, not just impact spreadsheets.

Because transformation can’t always be measured in numbers alone.


5. Capacity Building and Digital Tools

We go beyond just funding.

We equip grassroots leaders to thrive long-term:

Help with writing compelling fundraising stories

Access to donor communication templates

Trainings in financial transparency, project management, and storytelling

A shared platform to boost visibility

This is not charity. It’s partnership.


6. Real Relationships Over Performative Metrics

We’re not here to put logos on banners and claim impact.

We’re here to:

️ Build trust

️ Listen deeply

️ Stand with organisations year-round, not just when the cameras are rolling

Our donors don’t just give.

They belong to a movement that values local wisdom and sustainable change.


7. Powered by the People

Little x Little doesn’t rely on celebrities or big campaign budgets.

We’re powered by:

️ Teachers in Uganda

️ Mothers in Rwanda

️ Students in Kenya

️ Diaspora Africans around the world

️ Ordinary people who believe in extraordinary local action

Because real change never starts at the top.

It begins with those who say, “We can’t wait anymore. Let’s do this together.”


Imagine a small nonprofit in Gulu, Uganda that teaches girls to code.

Traditional Aid:

They’d struggle to get attention or pass a 30-page proposal written in donor-speak.

Little x Little:

They create a profile. Share their story. Receive support from people who believe in them.

Every dollar is tracked. Every milestone is celebrated.

They grow on their own terms.


We built Little x Little because the old system wasn’t working for donors or communities.

We don’t just want to move money.

We want to move power.

To people.

To trust.

To community-led transformation.

That’s the future of aid. And we’re building it, little by little.


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