E-Motive was launched in 2006 as one of Oxfam Novib’s innovative projects. The programme started as ‘reversed development’ with the aim to bring knowledge and resources from the Global South to projects in the Netherlands working on active citizenship and social cohesion. Over the course of 10 years E-Motive has expanded and evolved into a systematic peer-to-peer learning exchange programme that organizes exchanges that transcend traditional North-South divisions and instead emphasize the potential of learning from differences between professionals globally. Currently E-Motive is focussing on South-South learning. In the micri.io story below you,ll find the key principles , the impact of 3 current projects and the way of working in the 6 steps with quotes from these 3 projects.  

Vision and ambition

 

"Peers are the best teachers to tackle hard to crack nuts!"

To face hard to crack nuts, we offer a new approach to knowledge and learning. Many learning programmes in International Cooperation are top-down oriented, in which one is teaching and the other is learning. This is an unequal relationship which implies that only one partner needs gaining new knowledge. Also, this approach is often inflicted with dominant narratives of who is knowledgeable and who is not, and who needs to learn from whom. E-Motive believes this does not do justice to all the existing bodies of knowledge in the world and keeps hierarchical systems in place. It misses out on the potential to be surprised by learning what is different from you.

"All over the world people are looking for solutions to questions about legal rights, justice and injustice. In these areas we can learn much from each other, and must exchange more than we do right now." – Farah Karimi, Executive Director Oxfam Novib

Innovative solutions and citizen driven projects often arise under urgent circumstances and have the power to influence policy making or mindsets that affects the daily lives of people. Yet, these solutions are usually ‘hidden’ within local communities. E-Motive has the ambition to disclose and disseminate this valuable knowledge by organizing learning exchanges in which innovative solutions can be shared and improved, and thereby upscaling their impact. Only by facilitating a learning exchange that is based on professional equality, connecting the right people and the right solutions, mind sets can be changed, and new perspectives can be created to approach problems differently. Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, there might be already a good solution out there, in the most unexpected places, that can help you solve your local issue. E-Motive provides the space to learn from unexpected points of view.

Partners

E-motive is a global network of organizations. We have worked with these partners.

list of all the partners