What happens when global development shifts from “doing for” communities to truly partnering with them?

In this episode of The Power of Partnership Podcast, host Cherri Jacobs Pruitt is joined by Jill LaLonde and Sheku Mohamed Gassimu, Jr. of One Village Partners, an organization working alongside Sierra Leonean communities to challenge the legacy of top-down aid.

Together, they explore what it looks like to decolonize not just projects, but entire organizations — building development models rooted in humility, equity, and community leadership. This episode is a real-world example of partnership in practice, offering lessons for nonprofits, funders, and anyone committed to sustainable social change.

Key Themes

• What true community-led development looks like in practice.
• How One Village Partners supports Sierra Leonean communities in leading their own solutions.
• Decolonizing aid: shifting power from outside “experts” to local leaders.
• Organizational change: how staff and structures can embody partnership values.

About the Guests

Jill LaLonde – Executive Director of One Village Partners, Jill leads efforts to reimagine development models through equity, humility, and community empowerment.

Sheku Mohamed Gassimu, Jr. – Program Manager at One Village Partners, Sheku is a Sierra Leonean leader advancing grassroots solutions to multi-generational poverty through authentic community partnership.

Resources & Links

• 🌐 One Village Partners 
• 🌐 Movement for Community-Led Development 
• 📖 Community Development in Practice, We Power Our Own Chain – Edited by Elene Cloete & Gunjan Veda
• 📖 The Chalice and the Blade – Riane Eisler
• 📖 The Power of Partnership – Riane Eisler
• 🌐 Center for Partnership Systems 

Support & Subscribe

• 🎧 Support The Power of Partnership Podcast: Buzzsprout Support Page 
• 📺 Watch episodes on the Center for Partnership Systems YouTube channel 
• 📬 Connect: [email protected]

Music Credit

Episode close with Resilience by Rising Appalachia .

Support the show