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So far Well Grounded has created 24 blog entries.

A Renewed Commitment to Co‑Leadership: Lea Valentini Appointed as Co‑Director of Well Grounded

2026-03-31T07:13:47+00:00March 31st, 2026|

Well Grounded is delighted to announce the appointment of Lea Valentini as its new Co‑Director. With both Co‑Directors now being women, this transition marks a powerful moment in the organisation’s evolution, one that reinforces its commitment to shared power, and inclusive leadership. Well Grounded’s Co‑Director model reflects a simple yet transformative belief: leadership is strongest when it is shared. By embracing collaborative and relational leadership, the organisation ensures that diverse perspectives shape its strategy, culture, and direction. Welcoming Lea into this role further strengthens Well Grounded’s commitment to women’s leadership and to modelling the inclusive, power‑sharing practices it advocates for across [...]

Well Grounded Appoints New Chair of the Board

2026-03-31T07:15:05+00:00March 31st, 2026|

Well Grounded is pleased to announce the appointment of Fidele Yobo as the new Chair of its Board. This transition marks an important step in the organisation’s ongoing journey to support locally rooted, resilient and influential civil society across Africa. After many years of committed service, Well Grounded’s founder, Cath Long, is stepping down from her role as Chair. Cath’s humble leadership and dedication to building an organisation based on shared power, trust, and collaboration have been central to Well Grounded’s identity. She will remain closely connected to the organisation and continue contributing to its mission. Cameroonian national, Fidele Yobo brings [...]

Powerful stories of leadership, resilience and learning from Eastern DRC

2025-12-19T09:10:47+00:00December 18th, 2025|

We are proud to share learning and reflections from the successful conclusion of two online leadership programmes with leaders in Eastern DRC. Over recent months, we worked with two cohorts: leaders from six dynamic civil society organisations working around Kahuzi-Biega National Park to promote community-led forest governance, and members of the Indigenous Peoples’ Ambassador Circle — Indigenous leaders who play a vital role in shaping and delivering our Indigenous Peoples’ leadership programme. As conflict escalated across North and South Kivu, both programmes had to adapt rapidly. Together with our partners, we made the collective decision to move fully online in early [...]

Technology in the service of resilience: our pivot to online support for civil society in Eastern DRC

2025-09-19T13:44:46+00:00September 19th, 2025|

In the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, ongoing armed conflict has significantly disrupted the work of civil society organisations (CSOs), particularly those engaged in environmental protection. The escalation of the conflict in early 2025 also forced us to suspend our in-person facilitation of leadership and organisation development processes. But we did not want to withdraw our support for locally-based leaders and their organisations during this crisis.   That’s why, with the support of our partners, we turned to innovation—using technology as a catalyst for connection and continuity. Our local partners were adamant that despite the day-to-day challenges they were facing, they wanted [...]

Leading from the roots: A Conversation with Dr. Timothée Emini

2025-08-08T14:54:27+00:00August 8th, 2025|

To mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, we are sharing an interview with Dr. Timothée Emini, a Baka Indigenous person from the East Region of Cameroon and the Coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples Leadership Programme at Well Grounded. Timothée is a trailblazer. He is the first Indigenous forest person in Cameroon and Central Africa to publicly defend a PhD thesis — a symbolic and historic achievement. His daily work is deeply rooted in the promotion and defence of the human rights of Indigenous Peoples, a mission he carries with conviction and pride.     What does the International [...]

Bakokoli: announcing the latest cohort of ecofeminist leaders

2024-10-01T15:36:53+00:00November 2nd, 2023|

A joyous online ceremony marks the close of a transformative chapter for 19 participants in our ecofeminist leadership programme, but their journey continues 26 October 2023 We are delighted to share with you the excitement surrounding the successful completion of our most recent iteration of our ecofeminist leadership programme. This cohort has been on a transformative journey, culminating in a closing ceremony last week - a celebration shared between the participants, the Well Grounded team and partners. The Well Grounded ecofeminist leadership programme aims to support the emergence of female leaders within civil society across the Congo Basin, while championing [...]

Reconstructing Indigenous identities in recently granted or acquired forest areas

2024-10-01T15:49:12+00:00October 9th, 2023|

Webinar in our series of online events aimed at discovering the positive heritage of the Indigenous Peoples of the Congo Basin Wednesday 11 October 2023, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (Central and West Africa - UTC+1) / 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (Eastern Africa - UTC+3)   Well Grounded is pleased to invite you to the fourth event in our series aimed at discovering the positive heritage of the Indigenous Peoples of the Congo Basin. The Indigenous communities of the Congo Basin are increasingly distinguished by three types of identities: traditionalists, mixing traditions and modernity, and modernists. However, the common point [...]

Experiences, successes and challenges in securing lands customarily managed by Indigenous Peoples of the Congo Basin

2024-10-01T15:37:49+00:00September 8th, 2023|

Webinar in our series of online events aimed at discovering the positive heritage of the Indigenous Peoples of the Congo Basin September 14, 2023, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (Central and West Africa - UTC+1) / 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (Eastern Africa - UTC+3) Well Grounded is pleased to invite you to our third event in our series aimed at discovering the positive heritage of the Indigenous Peoples of the Congo Basin. Access to forest areas in order to maintain traditional lifestyles is a major challenge for the Indigenous Peoples of the Congo Basin region. Whether due to conservation projects [...]

Facilitators for Change (F4C) graduation ceremony celebrates 22 newly trained organisational development practitioners

2024-10-01T15:49:38+00:00March 31st, 2023|

March 31st 2023 Well Grounded’s year-long Facilitators for Change programme (F4C), which trained consultants based in the Congo Basin region in the facilitation of organisational development processes, came to a close in a graduation ceremony for the 22 participants on 31 March 2023. Facilitators for Change is a 12-month programme which seeks to equip highly committed individuals not only with the technical skills to be an effective facilitator, but also and equally importantly, with the soft skills to inspire trust, to create a space for all voices within an organisation and to enable them to be [...]

Connecting representatives of civil society and development support organizations

2024-10-01T15:40:39+00:00March 29th, 2023|

Well Grounded Rainbow Event • January 24 and 25 2023 Our Rainbow event, held in Douala, Cameroon in January, proved to be both memorable and edifying for us all. The event brought together civil society organizations with whom we have worked in the past and development partner organizations to explore ideas and inspiration and to share Well Grounded’s strategic plan 2023-26. Well Grounded’s work seeks to help CSOs in Cameroon who are engaged with social and environmental justice to gain the power to influence natural resource governance and empower communities to determine their own future. The [...]

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