Building Partnerships for Sustainable Change
GOAL's Global Partnership Centre (GPC) is a cornerstone initiative aimed at fortifying GOAL’s Partnership portfolio and steadfast dedication to the localisation agenda. Established in mid-2023 with generous support from Irish Aid, the centre marks a pivotal milestone in our journey. By recognising the critical role that local actors play in leading locally-driven humanitarian initiatives, GOAL is helping to foster sustainable, systemic change.
How We Work
The GPC currently has four objectives under our Irish Aid commitment. These objectives are underpinned by the acknowledgment that local actors play a pivotal role as catalysts for systemic change.
Collaborative partnerships foster innovation and drive efficient solutions. By empowering permanent local actors to lead locally-driven humanitarian responses, we empower local communities to effectively enact lasting change.
To this end, the GPC supports GOAL country teams with advisory and support services, aimed at identifying local partners for investment.
The Centre is also strengthening the capacity of GOAL's local partners by providing technical guidance and support to their senior management teams and board members. We guide them in cultivating new competencies, strategies, systems, and structures to bolster their overall effectiveness.
This is primarily done through executive leadership coaching and mentoring. In 2024, we coordinated multiple cohorts of leadership training across the three regions where GOAL operates, for 32 senior leaders from 14 Partner Organisations.
Objectives
Identify local partner agencies for strategic investment
Provide training and technical guidance across a range of programmatic and operational functions
Strengthen the leadership and governances of GOAL's partner agencies
Facilitate strategic networking and collaboration between GOAL's partner agencies
Organisational Development Fund
The GPC has also established the Organisational Development Fund (ODF), with support from Irish Aid, with the recognition that identifying areas for support is only meaningful if accompanied by flexible funding.
Executive Leadership Coaching
In 2024, GPC collaborated with four executive leadership coaches to train our partner organisations. They include:
- Global Executive Leadership Initiative (GELI): Kindly sponsored and trained two of our partners from Honduras.
- Urban Research Centre (URC): Provided leadership coaching to five of our partners in Syria.
- BCA Leadership Coach: Provided face-to-face training to six partner organisations in Sierra Leone, with 18 participants attending.
- Leading International Futures Together (LIFT): Trained one partner in Uganda to enhance leadership values.
Where We Work
The above map illustrates just some of the over 100 partners that GOAL works with. These highlighted partners were part of GPC’s OD Fund and received Executive Leadership Coaching in 2024.
Meet Our Partners
Beza Posterity Development Organisation (BPDO) was founded in 2000 to combat the HIV epidemic in Ethiopia and has grown to deliver programmes in health, nutrition, and women's empowerment across multiple regions.
In 2024, BPDO enhanced its operational capacity through a grant from the The Global Partnership Centre's Organisational Development Fund, allowing them to implement an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and provide staff training in project proposal development.
These improvements streamlined operations, increased efficiency, and strengthened donor engagement. As a result of this partnership, BPDO is now effectively meeting community needs and advocating for local capacity-building initiatives, solidifying its role as a crucial development partner in Ethiopia.
Meet Our Team
Mandy Yamanis
Director
Mandy became Director of GOAL's Global Partnership Centre in October 2023. Mandy orchestrates the Centre's strategic vision, focusing on identifying and nurturing partnerships with a diverse array of local agencies, including civil society groups, governmental bodies, private sector entities, academic institutions, and grassroots organisations.
Jimmy Bongo
Coordinator
Working alongside Mandy is Jimmy Bongo, our Global Partnership Coordinator. He offers senior technical leadership in managing GOAL's partnerships. With a focus on onboarding, on-granting, and performance management, Jimmy plays an a pivotal role in nurturing our collaborative endeavours.
Robert Katende
Systems Analysis & Design Advisor
Robert Katende, Global Partnership Systems Analysis and Design Advisor provides invaluable expertise in mapping systems and identifying strategic partners critical to GOAL's mission.
Canpolat Ozpolat
Partnership Officer
Working alongside Jimmy Bongo is Canpolat Ozpolat, our Global Partnership Officer, who is based in Turkey. Canpolat offers technical leadership in managing GOAL's partnerships and will focus on managing the Partnership Information Management System (PIMS), onboarding and on-granting of partners in the Middle East.
Our Partners
