By Ruth Rhoads Allen | President and Chief Collaboration Officer
Sawa. Okay. It’s time to share a story of our own Power Shift.
This month, something new was born—something alive to the vision of shifting power.
Nine months ago, CDA and Local Capacities for Peace International started having a different kind of conversation about the future.
Our story started decades ago, with deep collaboration in our foundational years. Then our organizations walked their own paths. In that era, friendships were built through practitioner consultations hosted by CDA, including between LCPI leaders and future CDA leadership. In recent years, our organizations started seeking deeper ways to partner again, growing trust and familiarity as sister organizations.
As close sisters do in moments of shock, we sought connection in the early months of 2025. Like everyone, we had seen change coming. Like everyone, we could not have anticipated the ripple effects from historic aid cuts.
So, when conversations between LCPI and CDA turned in June from “How are you holding up?” to “What’s possible?”, something new was conceived. “There are always options” remains the most powerful and enduring lesson of the research underlying Do No Harm, the widely adopted principle and practice pioneered by CDA 25 years ago.
What was in our capacity was clear. The months of gestation that followed were a labor of love.
In February, our boards approved the LCPI-CDA Strategic Affiliation Agreement. And on 10 March, we had an intimate signing ceremony in Nairobi with members of our boards and teams (photos).
In a year characterized by destruction and conquest, this act of creation that shifts power feels abundant and joyful.
As we grow in this new form, we'll keep “learning out loud” with and for others seeking transformation.
With deep gratitude to our boards, colleagues, close partners who share this vision, with courage, generosity, and care. Tunakwenda. On we go!
Additional photos from LCPI-CDA team retreat in Nairobi. Plus community work near Sondu, Kenya, where tribal and political boundaries clash, but locally-led peacebuilding is transforming relationships and the region's future.
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