Author Archive:

Chandrika Sahai

Opinion Chandrika Sahai 15 September 2023

Leading, learning and letting go: PSJP’s journey

‘What if the way we respond to our problems is part of the problem?’ – Bayo Akomolafe The Global Greengrants Fund, the Zambian Governance Foundation have recently shared articles describing their journeys of transformation. These …

Conference reports Chandrika Sahai 30 August 2022

PEXforum 2022: A call to solidarity

The most striking moments of the recently concluded PEXforum in Istanbul were the voices and stories of Turkish civil society. Turkey hosts the largest numbers of refugees in the world. The 1.5 million Syrian children …

Opinion Chandrika Sahai 20 May 2020

Philanthropy in emerging market countries and the opportunity for radical transformation

Just before Christmas last year I found myself with a very small and unsure group of ‘anti-CAA’ protestors outside a public park in Jaipur. We weren’t certain if we had the permission to gather and …

Letter Chandrika Sahai 5 March 2019

The bigger picture lying behind royal philanthropy

I appreciate Alliance focusing on the philanthropy of royal families around the world (December 2018) because in order for philanthropy to be effective and accountable, it does need to be scrutinised. Several articles in the issue ask …

Opinion Sumitra Mishra and Chandrika Sahai 4 January 2018

Transparency and philanthropy – an oxymoron in India? Not anymore.

India has traditionally been a philanthropic culture with giving ingrained in all of its major religions, a part of everyday life. However, both formal and informal giving in India have mainly been private matters, the …

News Chandrika Sahai 25 October 2017

What role for philanthropy in India?

According to a recent research paper by economist Lucas Chancel, ‘income inequality in India is at its highest level since 1922’. Earlier this year in January, an Oxfam report said that India’s richest 1 per …

Opinion Chandrika Sahai 31 March 2017

The role of philanthropy in society – what’s there and what’s next?

At the WINGS Forum in Mexico in February 2017, a session was organised to discuss the initial findings of a new study of philanthropy initiated by the Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and …

Letter Chandrika Sahai 7 March 2017

How to be effective and responsive to communities?

The December issue of Alliance focused on the topic of community philanthropy and the concept of ‘durable development’ – shifting power closer to the ground and giving agency to local people and their organizations. Here, …

Conference reports Chandrika Sahai 2 December 2016

Challenge to philanthropy’s power – unshackled!

Never before have I attended a philanthropy gathering of this scale where the conversations have been so open and honest about things that are wrong with mainstream philanthropy and ODA. The Global Summit for Community …

Opinion Chandrika Sahai 25 May 2016

What does funding to change structural injustice actually look like?

It started in a café. Representatives from the Trust met people from a children’s charity based in the North East of England, Children North East, to discuss their request for a small grant to celebrate …