Growing and Learning Together: Insights from Partner Visits

Note: This post was published before our 2025 rebrand. We are now called African Collaborative.

Julie on a site visit with Shule Direct in Tanzania

At the heart of our work is the belief that our growth and learning happens alongside our partners. We conduct annual partner reflections where partners share their impact, learnings, and challenges. We hold regular check-ins and prioritize meetings in person whenever possible. However, we recognize that an organization’s true impact, challenges, and opportunities cannot be fully captured on paper. It’s only by being on the ground, witnessing their work firsthand, and engaging directly with the communities they serve, that we can fully grasp the scope of their work.

In the second and third quarters of 2024, we had the opportunity to visit 13 of our partners in Burundi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

These visits required flexibility and investment from everyone. To ensure that the process was collaborative and to minimize additional burden on our partners, we co-designed and cost-shared the visits.

During our time on the ground, we met with team members, local communities, government stakeholders, and other organizations working alongside our partners. The site visits were conducted by Atti Worku (Co-CEO), Lynn Sellanga (Senior Operations Manager), Nafissatou Sene (Portfolio Manager), and Julie Khamati (Portfolio Services Coordinator).

“We’ve created a space where partners can be honest and share what’s happening with their organizations and within their communities.”

Julie Khamati, Portfolio Services Coordinator

Key Learnings from Site Visits

Site Visits Uncover What Reports Can’t

While data, reports, and remote check-ins can provide an overview of an organization’s work and scope, they are limited in the insights and context they can offer. Site visits are a key part of a holistic and fully informed partnership.

There’s So Much that Cannot be Captured or is Lost in Paperwork

By being on the ground, our team was able to engage directly with partners and better understand their challenges and context. Meeting the communities and individuals they serve allowed us to witness firsthand the full extent of their impact, local needs, and the unique motivations behind their approaches. These visits also strengthened our relationships, as we gained a deeper appreciation for the work partners do and the significant impact they achieve–often despite the roadblocks they may encounter.

Site Visits Are Costly

There’s an assumption that site visits incur no costs for local organizations. However, site visits are expensive, and the financial and logistical burden often fall disproportionately on partners.

Typical site visit costs include transportation to visit communities, labor to coordinate and host the visits, time spent away from regular duties, meal expenses, and more. These costs can often go unnoticed or unanticipated by funders. One solution we’ve found is co-designing site visits with our partners and sharing the financial and logistical burdens. By doing so, we ensure that partners aren’t solely responsible for the costs, and the visits become a true collaborative effort.

Photo: Julie and Lynn on a site visit with Foi en Action in Burundi

Unseen Barriers Hinder Progress

There are numerous unseen challenges that make it difficult for local organizations to meet funder expectations or requirements —whether that’s adhering to specific reporting timelines or managing funds in a prescribed way. Many of these challenges go unreported or remain unsaid.

For example, local organizations often struggle with issues like currency fluctuations and power outages, which can severely disrupt and block program implementation. Additionally, language barriers can exclude organizations from funding opportunities. We found that Francophone organizations are unintentionally excluded from funding opportunities simply because calls for applications are often only in English. Our team is committed to addressing these barriers and fostering greater inclusivity.

Integrated Approaches Are Key

As funders, we can sometimes assume that organizations are spreading themselves too thin, believing that taking on too many issues reduces effectiveness. However, on the ground, our team observed that integrated programming is often essential for creating meaningful impact. Many issues are interconnected, and focusing on a single area can overlook broader, systemic factors. Through our site visits, we found that many partners employ a multi-sector or sector-agnostic approach to be more responsive to local conditions. They understand that issues like education are deeply connected to gender, social dynamics, livelihoods, and even climate change. A multi-sector approach isn’t just ideal—it’s often necessary to meet the full range of needs in the communities they serve.