Money, power, and donor-NGO partnerships

The term 'partnership' can be considered something of a Trojan Horse, disguising the reality of the complex relationships in imbalances of power and inequality, often expressed through the control of one 'partner' over the other. With particular reference to the experience of a small, UK-based NGO working in Uganda (Hives Save Lives - Africa), this article highlights how power is manifest within donor-NGO partnerships through the control and flow of money; and illustrates that NGOs pursuing funding from donors face many challenges that reinforce this imbalance of power.