OneVillage Partners (OVP) is a non-governmental organization dedicated to empowering rural communities in Sierra Leone through a community-led approach. The organization believes that sustainable progress begins not with outside solutions, but by giving community members the tools they need to identify solutions, improve livelihoods, and strengthen local governance.
The Mortenson Family Foundation has been a partner of OVP since 2012. In November 2024, OVP invited two Foundation staff members–executive director Ambar Hanson and community relationship officer Margretta Supuwood–on a 10-day visit to Sierra Leone to learn about the impact of colonization in Africa and experience the NGO’s impactful work firsthand.

With visits to several villages participating in OVP’s Nurturing Opportunities for Women (NOW) program, the trip showcased how communities are embracing this participatory model of fostering local leadership and self-sufficiency through collaboration. The trip’s timing also aligned well with the Foundation’s focus group work over the last year on centering communities in international grantmaking.
Rooted in Community-Led Values
Registered as a nonprofit in the US since 2010, OVP reimagines international development work by centering the voices, needs, and priorities of local residents in rural Sierra Leone. Its mission is to enhance collective wellbeing across the country by investing in people and communities through partnerships. With its participatory approach to community-led development, OVP engages locals at every stage, reinforcing that sustainable development can only happen when communities drive their own progress.
“Community-led development is essential because it puts the power where it belongs—in the hands of the people who know their challenges best,” says Jill LaLonde, OVP’s executive director. “When communities lead their own progress, solutions are locally owned, culturally relevant, and enduring.”
OVP also plays a critical role in decolonizing traditional development practices. By recognizing the harm caused by power imbalances and externally driven solutions, OVP prioritizes equitable partnerships that honor local cultures, traditions, and values. The organization works to dismantle these imbalances to ensure that development efforts are rooted in mutual respect and shared leadership. This approach not only creates more relevant and effective programs but also promotes dignity and self-determination among community members.
“Early in my career, I felt disillusioned by international development’s focus on quick fixes over sustainable solutions, which ignored the wisdom and resilience of local communities,” says the Foundation’s Margretta Supuwood. Contrary to this, OVP’s approach focuses on implementing long-lasting, community-driven change.
Understanding Context
The trip began with a visit to Bunce Island, where OVP staff and local tour guides provided historical context about the legacy of enslavement in Sierra Leone. Established as a slave trading station in 1670, tens of thousands of African people were sold and shipped to America there until the slave trade was abolished in 1808.
During this part of the trip, the guides shared their lived experiences, which linked the past to present-day power dynamics in the region’s international development scene. The tour group also faced an unexpected challenge of getting stuck in a sand trap, which served as a metaphor for the need for flexibility in development work, Margretta says.

After the Bunce Island visit, the tour group spent three days visiting several villages outside of the city of Kenema to observe OVP’s collaborative approach to identifying local challenges and supporting community-led solutions. The visit to Tikoko focused on agriculture initiatives while the visit to Ngolahun integrated agriculture, business, and social cohesion efforts.
Last year, the Foundation’s Strengthening Developing Communities grant program area initiated a series of focus groups which highlighted the importance of understanding historical, regional, and community-specific contexts to support communities effectively. The trip to Sierra Leone reaffirmed that true, lasting change starts with communities taking the lead in designing and implementing solutions that align with their unique priorities and aspirations.
“The trip emphasized OVP’s alignment with the Foundation’s values by highlighting equity and co-creation, where communities lead solutions based on trust, fostering sustainable change that goes beyond initial projects,” Margretta says.
Making Change, NOW
OVP’s Nurturing Opportunities for Women (NOW) program was a key initiative across all of the villages visited. Designed to equip women with leadership, financial literacy, and business skills, the NOW program recognizes women as powerful drivers of community transformation. By providing tools and training tailored to their specific needs, NOW empowers women to play active roles in decision-making, economic development, and problem-solving within their communities.
Like OVP’s other programs, NOW follows a culturally sensitive and participatory approach. Because traditional literacy-focused training can exclude participants, NOW uses a picture-based curriculum to ensure all women can actively engage and contribute. The women themselves play a leading role in identifying challenges they face and co-creating solutions that reflect their realities.

“[The program] inspired and enhanced the capacity of women to lead and use their voices,” says Bernadette Mustapha, the NOW program manager. “Women in the program can share learnings from the training with other community women and their husbands, which can improve collective wellbeing.”
The NOW program’s effects extend far beyond individual participants. By empowering women, OVP improves gender equality, driving systemic change that benefits entire families and communities. Women trained through NOW have been instrumental in improving economic resilience, pooling resources for savings, and building small businesses that provide sustainable incomes. The program also improves social cohesion as women increasingly take leadership roles, advocate for shared priorities, and inspire others. In every village visited, the positive outcomes of NOW were clear: when women are empowered, the entire community thrives.
Driving Progress
This recent visit to Sierra Leone offered invaluable insights into OVP’s transformative, community-driven approach and its NOW program. The trip reinforced that when communities lead, sustainable progress follows.
With its focus on community leadership in shaping development efforts and empowering individuals to create lasting change rather than fostering dependency on non-local groups, OVP’s work reflects the values of the Foundation. Witnessing the ripple effects of women’s leadership and economic empowerment underscore the immense potential of development models that prioritize local voices. Partnerships like this one with OVP demonstrate that only a community-first approach can achieve profound, long-term impact.
“A development approach grounded in the vision of a community enhances inclusivity, efficiency, collective wellbeing, and sustainability,” says partnership and program director Sheku M. Gassimu, Jr. “Those affected by the problem can better articulate the solutions.”