Marième Daff has been announced as the Firelight Foundation’s new executive director.

Daff has over 20 years of experience with a background in women’s economic empowerment, social inclusion, and gender-sensitive programming, primarily in Africa. She will start her new role in September.

She previously spearheaded programmes and partnerships at the Vibrant Village Foundation, a private foundation working to improve food security, family health, financial wellbeing, and education in communities around the world. Daff is credited with spearheading the growth of the foundation’s African team. 

Daff is also a trained journalist, writing on a range of topics including African diasporas, African leadership and decolonising philanthropy. 

The Firelight Foundation has been pioneering a community-driven systems change (CDSC) approach to its work with children and young people in Southern and Eastern Africa.

To decolonise its practices, Firelight began working closer with community grantee-partners over the last few years and shifting towards African leadership. 

Decolonising philanthropy has moved increasingly into the spotlight. Lankelly Chase’s decision to dissolve itself and move assets into community organisations is the latest example of a shift in thought. 

In a statement, Firelight said it was grateful to the outgoing executive director, Nina Blackwell.  

“During her tenure, she enhanced Firelight’s work in countless ways. We specifically wish to recognise her contribution to the evolution of Firelight’s programming model, staffing, and governance – all of which are innovative and concrete examples of shifting power in meaningful ways that inform and influence organisations across the globe,” said Gloria Johnson-Cusack, a board chair of Firelight. 

Alliance spoke to Firelight’s learning and evaluation officer, Ronald Kimambo and to some of Firelight’s grantee partners back in 2022 to discover how exactly it focuses on community-led approaches in a bit to cut out “the issue of dependence syndrome”.

Shafi Musaddique is a news editor at Alliance magazine.

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