Why Duara exists

Top-down models of aid do not work. They dismiss the dignity and lived experience of the communities they propose to serve - with blind spots that have devastating long-term effects.

Local entrepreneurs are responding thoughtfully to the daily friction in their lives. So, why aren't we supporting these local entrepreneurs?

Unfortunately, the answer is that traditional funders and philanthropists do not trust locals. They don't trust them to build and scale solutions to their problems.

We created Duara to fight this. We do it by investing in local entrepreneurs and telling the story of their impact.

Raising capital

Traditional funders were entrenched. So, we had to get creative about fundraising. We adapted the age-old practice of Osusu - a traditional saving and credit system from West Africa.

We plan to build a community of micro philanthropists and tap into the enormous power of the collective.

Solving giving

As we proposed the idea of Duara to potential members, we learned that years of malpractice, lack of transparency, and frivolous spending in the non-profit sector had dampened people's spirit for giving.

We reflected on this and realized we had to solve the problem of giving first.

This was to be our first act.

Reviving the spirit of giving

Duara relies on people understanding this: They have the power to cause huge change. But first, we must rebuild trust, and then people might remember what is possible.

People want assurance that the money they give is having its intended impact. They want to see the impact their contributions are having.

We respond to this by investing in the giving experience, operating transparently and co-building Duara with its members.

Our approach to funding at this stage is hands-off. We follow the lead of those closest to issues. We find innovators hidden on the margins. We give them the capital they need to make their ideas scale and get out of their way.

… Then, we share the stories of their impact on their local communities.

Growing the village

Once we've met modern givers' expectations, we'll push to grow our membership and reach our goal of $1,000,000 in annual contributions. A number that will put us firmly on the playing field.

We can achieve this by signing up 20,000 micro philanthropists who would each give $5 a month. Or, 100 seasoned philanthropists who would each give $1,000 a month. We'll likely have a mix of the two.

Our approach to funding at this stage is hands-off. We follow the lead of those closest to issues. We find innovators hidden on the margins. We give them the capital they need to make their ideas scale and get out of their way.

Scaling impact

We will have the support of a large network of donors and a healthy source of capital. With this, we can work with inventors to scale their innovations into widely used solutions. These solutions can then grow beyond their immediate environment.

Here we'll take pages from the startup acceleration playbook popularized in Silicon Valley. We will connect local innovators with Duara's vast capital and human resources.

Where we are today

Act I roadmap

What we need