Kenyan non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are turning to a Somali-led organization's funding model as Western donors, including USAID, reduce their contributions.

• Adeso, headquartered in Nairobi, has been advocating for direct funding to local organizations for over a decade.
• The advocacy by Adeso, led by its Executive Director Degan Ali, is becoming crucial for the survival of Kenyan and other Global South civil society organizations amidst aid cuts.
• Degan Ali criticized restrictive, colonial funding practices at a United Nations General Assembly side event in September 2023, highlighting their limitations on community work.