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 Global Partnership Centre (GPC) is at the heart of GOAL’s localisation approach turning commitment into action.
In 2025 alone, GOAL partnered with 217 organisations across local civil society, international NGO’s, government, academia, and the private sector. Together, we are building more inclusive, locally led responses to humanitarian and development challenges.
Our work is guided by three strategic pillars that drive sustainable impact and stronger partnerships:
- Systems Approaches to support locally led change
- Empowering Local Partners through organisational development
- Learning and Collaboration to strengthen practice and scale impact
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
Localisation in Action: A Systems Approach
Pillar 1: Enabling systems approach to strengthening locally led, humanitarian and development programming
Lasting change happens when local systems not just individual projects are strengthened.
At GOAL, we work with partners across local civil society, government, academia and the private sector to understand how systems function, where gaps exist, and where change can have the greatest impact. This means moving beyond short-term delivery to supporting partners who can influence and strengthen the systems their communities rely on.
Real Impact: Sierra Leone
In Sierra Leone, partners were facing persistent challenges in maternal and child health driven not by a single issue, but by gaps in coordination, governance, and service delivery.
Through GOAL’s systems approach, over 80 staff and partners were supported to map the wider system identifying key actors, relationships, and bottlenecks.
One partner, Focus 1000, used this approach to shift how it works:
- Bringing together stakeholders across health, protection, and local government
- Strengthening coordination between actors who had previously worked in isolation
- Identifying critical gaps in services and targeting efforts more strategically
The result was not just improved programme delivery, but stronger collaboration, better decision-making, and more locally owned solutions.
Today, partners like Focus 1000 are not only implementing projects they are influencing and strengthening the systems that sustain change.
Pillar 2: Empowering Local Partners
Strong organisations are at the heart of lasting, locally led change.
Through our Organisational Development (OD) Fund, GOAL invests in partners to strengthen leadership, governance, and the systems they need to grow, adapt, and lead. Over the past three years, we have supported 32 partners with tailored, high-impact support designed around their unique contexts and ambitions.
Our approach puts partners in the lead. Using our Organisational Capacity Assessment (OCA), organisations reflect on their own strengths and challenges, then work with us to design practical, targeted plans for growth. These plans focus not just on immediate gaps, but on building stronger, more resilient organisations over time.
Real Impact: Strengthening organisations from within
One partner identified governance and internal systems as key barriers to growth. Through the OD Fund, they were able to strengthen board oversight, improve internal processes, and clarify roles and responsibilities across their team.
The result? A more confident, better-structured organization able to manage funding more effectively, make strategic decisions, and expand its programmes with greater independence.
This is the kind of change we aim for: not short-term fixes, but long-term transformation.
In 2025, GOAL launched its Organisational Development Framework, providing a clear pathway for partners to track progress and continue strengthening over time ensuring that investments in capacity lead to measurable, sustainable impact.
Pillar 3: Strengthening Learning, Collaboration, and Partnerships
Learning That Drives Impact
We bring partners and teams together to learn from each other and turn that learning into action.
Through our Communities of Practice, partners shape the conversations around what matters most to them. Since 2024, these spaces have connected organisations across contexts to share practical solutions on topics like safeguarding, inclusion, risk management, and partnership approaches.
This exchange goes beyond discussion. With expert-led sessions and practical toolkits, partners are strengthening their skills, improving compliance, and applying better practices in their day-to-day work, ultimately delivering stronger, safer programmes in their communities.
We are now building a central knowledge hub to make these tools and resources even more accessible, supporting partners to grow and lead locally.
Toolkits for Partners
Smarter Partnerships, Stronger Results
To better support our partners, GOAL developed the Partnership Information Management System (PIMS), a single platform that brings all partnership data together.
PIMS helps teams and partners make informed decisions, track progress, and ensure accountability. It provides a clear picture of where resources are going, how partnerships are performing, and where additional support is needed.
Most importantly, it strengthens how we invest in local actors ensuring partnerships are not only well-managed, but also more impactful and sustainable.
With the next phase of PIMS in development, we are continuing to simplify processes and improve how we work so partners can focus on what matters most: delivering change in their communities.
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
Hand in Hand for Aid and Development (HIHFAD) has been delivering humanitarian assistance since 2012 to communities affected by conflict and crisis. The organisation has grown significantly over the years and now employs more than 1,200 staff across field operations and offices in Turkey, with an international presence in London and Birmingham. While primarily focused on Syria, HIHFAD’s work also extends to neighbouring contexts, including the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Yemen. Through its humanitarian and development programmes, HIHFAD supports vulnerable communities while promoting social justice, resilience, and sustainable solutions.
Through the Organisational Development Fund (2025), HIHFAD undertook a structured capacity strengthening process using GOAL’s Organisational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT), part of GOAL’s new Organisational Development Framework. The assessment enabled the organisation to reflect on its internal systems and identify priority areas for improvement. In collaboration with GOAL, HIHFAD selected two key areas for investment: strengthening impact evaluation within its Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEAL) systems, and developing a comprehensive programme management manual to better align programmes with evolving operational needs.
These initiatives have strengthened HIHFAD’s institutional systems and programme quality. The new programme manual establishes a standardised framework for programme design, implementation, and monitoring, improving coordination, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making across departments. In parallel, the impact evaluation initiative implemented through staff training, the development of an evaluation manual, and tailored coaching and mentoring has equipped HIHFAD teams with practical tools to measure programme outcomes using internationally recognised standards such as OECD-DAC criteria. Together, these investments are helping HIHFAD enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of its programmes while increasing the impact of its work for the communities it serves.
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
